T 


.       :'  ^ 


•Barbara  Prcbton 


A  YOUNG  SAVAGE.     Crown  8 vo,  $  1.50. 
FORTUNE'S  BOATS.     Crown  8vo,  $1.50. 

HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN  &  CO. 
BOSTON  AND  NEW  YORK. 


FORTUNE'S  BOATS 


BY 


BARBARA  YECHTON 

Author  of  "  We  Ten,  or  The  Story  of  the  Hoses;  "  "A  Lovable 

Crank,  or  More  Leaves  from  the  Eases  ;"  "A  Little 

Turning  Aside;"  "A  Young  Savage,"  etc. 


BOSTON  AND   NEW  YORK 

HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN  AND  COMPANY 

(Cfce  Ctifcers'i&c  prcs?,  <Cambrib0e 

1900 


COPYRIGHT,  1900,  BY  LYDA  FARRINGTON  KRAUSB 
ALL    RIGHTS    RESERVED 


TO 

MY  BELOVED 

BROTHER  AND  SISTER 

JOHN  AND  FANNY  KRAUSE  MORRISON 


" Fortune  brings  in  some  boats  that  are  not  steered" 


Chance  —  that  chance  the  Eternal  God  did  guide." 


CONTENTS 


CHAP.  PAG* 

I.  URSULA'S  STORY 1 

II.  UNCLE  GABE 22 

III.  ONLY  JIM  IVORS 33 

IV.  DRESS  REHEARSAL        .        .        .        .                 .  53 
V.   THE  NEW  COUSIN 70 

VI.   LILIES  OF  THE  FIELD  AND  OTHERS    ...        86 

VII.   ON  AND  OFF .  107 

VIII.  AN  ACQUISITION  AND  A  Loss       ....      126 

IX.   GIVING  LESSONS 144 

X.  AND  so  IT  CAME 165 

XL   JARED 190 

XII.   "  IN  THE  DAY'S  JOURNEY  "          ....      212 

XIII.  FRIEND  URSULA 237 

XIV.  THE  SWEETENER  OF  LIFE 267 

XV.  REVELATIONS 284 

XVI.   GREAT  DAYS 321 

XVII.  UNCLE  GABE'S  PARISH  .  343 


FORTUNE'S  BOATS 


CHAPTER  I 

URSULA'S  STORY 

URSULA  JEFFREY  ran  gayly  up  the  long  flight 
of  stairs  that  led  to  the  apartment  where  she  lived, 
at  the  top  of  the  house.  "  Mother !  Girls  !  Open 
the  door !  I  have  some  news !  "  she  called,  her 
fresh  young  voice  ringing  out  ahead  of  her. 

"  Sh  !  my  dear  !  "  some  one  said  in  mild  re- 
proof; and  when  Ursula,  flushed  and  breathless, 
reached, her  own  front  door,  she  saw  two  men  sit- 
ting at  the  farther  end  of  the  hall,  in  the  afternoon 
sunshine  which  streamed  through  the  small  glass 
skylight  and  made  the  "  top  floor  "  the  most  de- 
sirable apartment  in  the  house,  despite  the  many 
steps  that  had  to  be  traversed  to  reach  it. 

One  of  the  men  smiled  at  Ursula  :  he  was  her 
uncle  Gabriel.  His  companion  was  a  large  heavy 
man,  shabbily  dressed,  and  sitting  awkwardly  on 
the  edge  of  the  chair  which  the  Reverend  Gabriel 
Kincaid  had  brought  out  into  the  public  hall  for 
his  accommodation.  He  shot  a  sly  hasty  glance 
at  the  bright-faced  girl  from  under  a  pair  of  sullen 
beetling  brows. 


2  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

Uncle  Gabriel  waved  his  fingers  airily  at  his 
niece.  "  Don't  ring ;  the  latch  is  up.  Go  right 
in,"  he  told  her,  with  a  beaming  smile.  "  Your 
mother 's  in  there,  and  Margaret." 

"  Oh  ho !  then  Margaret  has  come.  Jolly  !  " 
exclaimed  Ursula,  and  opening  the  door  she 
stepped  into  the  narrow  dark  passageway  which, 
though  only  about  fifteen  feet  long,  was  yet  proudly 
designated  in  the  advertisements  as  a  "  private 
hall."  Speeding  through  the  short  entry,  guided 
by  the  sound  of  singing,  Ursula  paused  at  the  open 
dining-room  door  and  looked  in.  "  Oh,  here  you 
all  are  !  "  she  said  in  a  tone  of  satisfaction. 

The  room  was  of  a  good  size,  running  the  width 
of  the  house,  and  light,  having  two  large  windows. 
Across  the  western  window  stood  an  old  roomy 
flat-topped  desk,  laden  with  books,  papers,  manu- 
scripts, and  writing  material.  In  the  south  win- 
dow sat  Mrs.  Jeffrey,  a  plump  little  woman  with  a 
cheery  placid  face ;  she  was  darning  a  much-worn 
tablecloth.  The  four  girls  scattered  about  the 
room  were  her  daughters,  of  whom  Margaret,  aged 
twenty-three,  was  the  eldest,  and  eighteen-year- 
old  Frances  the  youngest.  Between  these  two 
came  Ursula  and  the  twins,  Judith  and  Ruth. 

On  a  low  bench  beside  her  mother  sat  hand- 
some, hazel-eyed  Margaret,  her  dark  head  bent 
over  the  tablecloth,  her  shapely  hands  busy  darn- 
ing. The  table  was  divested  of  its  cover,  and, 
with  a  paper  pattern  spread  before  her.  IJutli  was 
carefully  cutting  out  a  skirt.  Judith  lay  at  full 
length  on  the  shabby  comfortable  old  lounge ;  and 


URSULA'S  STORY  3 

though  there  was  a  strong  buzz  of  conversation 
going  on,  over  by  the  window  stood  Frances,  hold- 
ing a  dilapidated  piece  of  music  at  arm's  length 
before  her,  and  singing  scales  at  the  top  of  her 
vigorous  young  voice. 

Conversation  and  scales  alike  came  to  an  abrupt 
close  at  Ursula's  appearance. 

"  Well !  if  you  are  n't  screeching  !  "  she  has- 
tened to  inform  Frances,  with  sisterly  candor.  "  I 
thought  you  always  practiced  in  the  sitting-room." 

"  I  was  trying  to  get  up  to  high  C,"  answered 
the  young  person  she  addressed,  not  at  all  abashed. 
"  And  I  was  n't  going  to  be  banished  away  off  to 
the  sitting-room  —  shut  up  there  alone  —  when 
everybody  else  was  here." 

"  She  was  afraid  she  'd  lose  something,  now 
that  Margaret  has  come,"  remarked  Judith  lazily. 
"  You  know  that,  as  a  family,  we  delight  in  seeing, 
hearing,  and  enjoying  everything  —  all  together !  " 
She  made  a  languid,  graceful  sweep  of  her  arms 
as  if  drawing  the  whole  family  to  her  in  one  em- 
brace. To  be  graceful  was  as  natural  to  Judith 
as  to  breathe ;  as  natural  as  the  good  "  style  "  with 
which  she  wore  her  clothes,  and  the  fine  poise  of 
her  dark  head.  Though  always  making  the  most 
of  her  inches,  Judith  was  considerably  below  her 
twin  in  height,  and  the  contrast  between  them 
was  still  farther  marked  by  Ruth's  finely  moulded 
figure,  her  masses  of  light  hair  touched  with  yel- 
low, and  the  innocent  dark  gray  eyes  that  ex- 
pressed far  more  than  their  owner  ever  imagined 
or  felt.  With  this  fine  physique  was  united  a  sim- 


4  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

plicity  of  thought  and  speech,  a  deliberation  and 
literalness  very  unlike  Judith's  clear  mind,  her 
quick  wit  and  sarcasm,  her  whimsical  changeable- 
ness,  and  the  dignity  on  which  she  prided  herself. 
In  the  way  of  looks  Ursula  had  long  ago  graded 
the  girls  thus :  "  Margaret  is  the  beauty  of  the 
family  —  always  was,  always  will  be  —  bless  her  ! 
Next  comes  Kufie  "  (the  home  name  for  Ruth)  — 
"  not  far  behind,  but  never  knowing  it.  Taken  on 
your  own  merits,  Judy  —  separately  —  you  might 
by  a  partial  judge  be  declared  pretty,  but  with 
your  two  sisters  by,  for  comparison,  you  may  con- 
sider yourself  well  treated  if  called  good-looking. 
Still,  some  compensations  have  been  given  you  — 
don't  ask  me  what  they  are  ;  you  know  well  enough. 
As  for  you,  Frances,  and  myself,  we  have  no  de- 
scription ;  we  are  simply  possessed  of  certain  items 
apiece  — two  eyes,  a  nose  (alas  !),  a  mouth  (again 
alas  !).  But  as  these  faces  are  all  we  '11  ever  have, 
we  must  e'en  accept  our  lot  and  try  to  be  cheerful 
over  it." 

But  family  opinion  is  not  always  infallible. 
Ursula's  broad  smooth  forehead  and  delicately 
marked  eyebrows,  her  steady  honest  gaze  and 
kindly  mouth,  made  her  often  very  pleasant  to  look 
at ;  while  the  brown  eyes,  brilliant  as  Margaret's, 
that  lighted  up  Frances's  piquant  little  brunette 
face,  and  her  heavy  mane  of  wavy  chestnut-colored 
hair,  were  "items"  by  no  means  to  be  drspis.-d. 
The  sun  was  glinting  into  bright  red  the  stray 
short  locks  that  stuck  out  so  liberally  around 
Francie's  head,  as  she  stood  in  the  west  window 


URSULA'S  STORY  5 

this  afternoon,  holding  her  shabby  music  and  look- 
ing up  at  Ursula  with  a  saucy  smile.  "  Well,  if 
you  must  know,  I  did  want  to  hear  Margaret  tell 
about  those  Austins,"  she  admitted,  "  and  that 
funny  pompous  butler,  and  "  —  But  no  one  was 
paying  the  slightest  attention  to  her;  so,  leaving 
the  sentence  unfinished,  Frances  tossed  aside  her 
music,  and  openly  joined  the  group  at  the  other 
end  of  the  room. 

At  the  mention  of  Margaret's  name  Ursula  had 
rushed  forward  and  embraced  the  big  girl  who 
was  sitting  at  her  mother's  feet.  "  You  love  of  a 
Mamie  !  "  she  exclaimed  rapturously.  "  This  is 
the  jolliest  surprise !  Going  to  stay  to  tea  with  us, 
are  n't  you  ?  That 's  beautiful !  Miss  Austin  is 
an  angel  to  have  let  you  come.  And  you  're  just 
in  time  to  hear  my  news." 

Mrs.  Jeffrey  let  the  tablecloth  fall  into  her  lap, 
and  looked  expectantly  at  the  eager  flushed  face  of 
her  second  daughter,  while  the  girls  immediately 
flocked  close  around  Ursula,  crying, "  News  !  news ! 
Tell  us  at  once,  at  once  !  " 

"  I  certainly  will,  if  you  people  '11  only  give  me 
space  to  breathe,"  protested  Ursula,  putting  out 
her  arms  to  ward  them  off. 

"  Did  n't  I  tell  you  —  close  together !  "  murmured 
Judith  pensively,  regardless  of  the  fact  that  she 
had  been  one  of  the  foremost  in  the  little  crowd. 
"  Ursa,  I  've  an  idea  !  "  she  went  on,  giving  her 
sister  a  sharp  little  pat  on  the  shoulder  to  secure 
attention,  then  standing  off,  head  on  one  side,  to 
continue  her  remarks.  "  When  you  finish  your 


6  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

novel,  that 's  to  bring  you  (and  us,  of  course)  fame 
and  fortune,  and  you  start  the  carriage  and  pair 
which  would  then  be  a  necessity — if  we  were  rich  we 
certainly  could  n't  do  anything  so  vulgar  as  walk  ! 
—  would  n't  it  be  a  fine  idea  to  have  the  vehicle 
circular  in  shape  ?  Then  we  could  put  mother  in 
the  middle,  and  we  five  sit  round  her,  when  we 
took  an  airing ;  we  'd  all  be  so  close  together  and 
4  comfy '  and  satisfied.  Don't  you  see  ?  Mother  'd 
be  the  centre  of  attraction  —  the  great  planet  — 
and  we  girls  her  satellites;  nobody  would  be 
slighted  or  left  out  in  the  cold,  as  Jim  would  say, 
and  peace  and  happiness  would  be  supreme  in  the 
Jeffrey  family.  Now  tell  us  your  news,  do ! " 
finished  Judith  abruptly,  impatiently. 

"  It 's  about  your  work  —  and  it 's  good  news," 
remarked  Ruth  in  soft  drawling  accents,  eyeing 
Ursula  speculatively. 

"/know  what 't  is ! "  suddenly  declared  Frances, 
flourishing  her  long  arms  excitedly.  "  That  big 
black  ogre  of  an  editor  in  chief  that  you  told  us 
about,  Ursa,  has  in  some  mysterious  way  discov- 
ered you're  writing  a  novel  that's  going  to  be 
famous  —  set  the  world  on  fire !  —  and  he  has  gone 
down  on  his  stiff  old  knees  and  fairly  implored 
you  to  let  him  have  it  as  a  serial  (is  n't  that  what 
you  call  it?)  for  the  paper,  for  the  noble  sum 
of"- 

"  You  've  just  hit  it  exactly,  Francie,"  agreed 
Margaret.  "  Genius,  like  water,  always  finds  its 
level,  and  " 

"  Well,  you  're  both  burning  just  a  little,  and  if 


URSULA'S  STORY  7 

everybody  is  through  guessing,  I  '11  tell  you," 
broke  in  Ursula,  struggling  with  a  wide  smile  of 
amusement  and  satisfaction. 

"  We  're  all  ears  !  "  promptly  declared  Frances, 
and  each  girl  immediately  fell  into  what  she  con- 
sidered the  most  comfortable  position  for  listen- 
ing :  Margaret  on  the  bench  at  her  mother's  feet; 
Ruth  in  a  corner  of  the  lounge,  with  Judy's  head 
on  her  shoulder,  Judy's  hand  fast  locked  in  her 
own .;  and  Frances  sitting  crosslegged  on  the  floor, 
while  Ursula  took  a  seat  on  the  edge  of  the  table. 
"  I  can  look  at  you  all  from  here  and  talk  better," 
she  offered  in  excuse,  and  began  her  story. 

"  As  you  all  know,"  she  said,  with  a  little  con- 
fidential gesture,  "  it  is  n't  long  since  I  got  my 
position  in  the  Leader  office.  Of  course,"  look- 
ing directly  at  her  mother  and  Margaret,  though 
what  she  was  about  to  state  was  already  as  well 
known  to  them  as  to  the  rest  of  her  audience, 
"  being  a  beginner,  I  could  n't  expect  much  pay  — 
I  was  only  too  thankful  to  be  taken  on  at  all.  It 
was  certainly  a  piece  of  great  good  fortune  —  for 
which  I  can  thank  uncle  Gabe.  Well,  I  was  put 
in  what 's  called  the  '  exchange  '  room  —  where 
all  the  newspapers  and  magazines  that  come  to 
the  Leader  are  collected.  These  papers  we  —  for 
there  are  two  other  girls  at  it  beside  myself  —  are 
expected  to  look  carefully  through,  and  cut  out 
from  them  all  the  short  bits  of  news,  general  in- 
formation, etc.,  etc.,  that  we  think  would  be  suit- 
able to  the  Leader  and  interesting  to  its  readers. 
These  pieces  we  rewrite  "  — 


8  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

"  Why !  you  've  told  us  about  that  lots  of  times 
before,"  interrupted  Ruth.  "  Could  n't  you  skip 
going  over  it  again  ?  We  're  just  hungry  for  the 
news ! " 

"It  is  extremely  rude  to  interrupt,"  put  in 
Margaret  hastily,  noticing  Ursula's  face,  at  the 
same  time  casting  an  imploring  glance  at  the  im- 
patient Ruth. 

Ursula  colored  up.  "  I  can  only  tell  the  story 
in  my  own  way,"  she  said  stiffly.  "  Those  of  you 
that  don't  care  to  listen  to  it  may  go  out  of  the 
room.  I  know  mother  and  Mamie  will  stay,  if 
nobody  else  does." 

"  Of  course  we  all  want  to  hear  it,"  and  "  Tell 
it  just  as  you  like,"  came  in  a  hearty  chorus  from 
four  of  the  assemblage  ;  while  Ruth  tilted  her 
blond  head  and  studied  the  pattern  of  the  ceiling 
with  a  great  appearance  of  indifference. 

"  Well,  I  '11  make  the  rest  as  short  as  I  can," 
resumed  Ursula,  the  interest  somewhat  gone 
from  her  voice,  though  it  soon  returned  as  she 
went  on.  "  As  I  was  saying,  we  have  to  rewrite 
or  edit  these  '  paragraphics,'  as  we  call  them. 
And  they  are  used,  in  printing  the  Leader,  to  fill 
out  odd  places  —  around  the  advertisements  or  at 
the  foot  of  a  column  —  wherever  a  space  occurs. 
The  other  two  girls  merely  edit  or  arrange  their 
paragraphics  ;  they  say  that 's  quicker  and  less 
trouble.  So  it  is,  but,  as  you  people  know,  I  love 
to  write,  and  quite  often  — whenever  I  find  an  in- 
teresting subject  —  I  rewrite  mine  entirely.  Each 
day's  work  is  put  into  a  sealed  envelope  on  which 


URSULA'S  STORY  9 

is  written  the  name  of  the  person  who  has  made 
the  selections,  and  then  handed  in  to  the  '  make- 
up '  editor.  He  uses  the  paragraphics  as  he  sees 
fit  throughout  the  paper.  But  if  he  shouldn't 
approve  of  the  selections,  back  they  come  to  the 
unfortunate  who  has  made  them  —  and  sometimes 
a  few  sharp  words  as  well !  This  has  happened 
two  or  three  times  to  the  other  two  girls  in  the 
exchange  room,  though  they  've  appeared  not  to 
mind  it  at  all.  /  should  have  felt  dreadfully  mor- 
tified and  disheartened,  but  they  just  laughed  over 
it.  Well,  this  morning  "  — 

But  just  at  this  interesting  point  of  the  story 
there  came  another  interruption. 

"  Oh,  wait  a  minute !  just  one  second  !  "  broke 
in  Frances  excitedly.  "  Miss  Weewee  is  scratch- 
ing to  come  in."  Hushing  to  the  door,  she 
opened  it  and  admitted  a  sleek  black  cat,  with  a 
funny  monkey-like  little  black  and  white  face, 
and  stiff  fierce  white  eyebrows  and  whiskers  that 
stood  out  prominently.  Puss  walked  into  the 
room  with  a  stately  measured  tread  and  an  air  of 
bland  assurance  which  was  rudely  disturbed  by 
Frances,  who  snatched  up  the  cat  and  hastily  re-^ 
turned  to  her  place.  "  There !  "  exclaimed  the 
girl  a  little  breathlessly,  sinking  down  on  the  floor 
again  and  pressing  the  unwilling  Miss  Weewee 
into  a  recumbent  position  on  her  lap.  "  Now  the 
family  circle  is  complete.  Go  ahead,  Ursa !  " 

"  Wait  another  minute  and  I  '11  close  the  front 
door,"  remarked  Judith,  suddenly  rising  from  the 
lounge.  "  It  has  just  occurred  to  me  that  it 's 


10  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

open,  and  there 's  no  necessity  of  letting  uncle 
Gabe's  horrid-looking  protege  hear  all  we  say." 

In  almost  less  than  the  time  she  had  specified 
Judy  was  back  on  the  lounge,  comfortably  nestled 
against  Ruth's  shoulder.  "  Now  tell  us  the  rest," 
she  said. 

"  I  've  the  greatest  mind  not  to  say  another 
word  of  it !  "  exclaimed  Ursula  indignantly.  "  The 
idea  of  interrupting  me  for  that  old  cat !  And 
now  you,  Judith !  I  came  home  just  brimming  over 
with  this  news,  thinking  you  people  would  be  so 
interested  —  and  I  don't  believe  you  care  one 
particle !  " 

"  Now  don't  make  a  fuss  about  nothing !  "  ad- 
vised Ruth  calmly  ;  she  always  took  her  twin's  part, 
unless  the  offense  were  against  herself. 

"  Oh,  but  I  am  interested,"  protested  Judith, 
and  "  Do  go  on !  "  urged  Frances. 

"  You  know  very  well,  Ursula,  that  we  are  inter- 
ested in  all  you  have  to  tell  us,"  remarked  Mrs. 
Jeffrey. 

And  presently,  swallowing  her  wrath,  Ursula 
made  another  attempt  to  finish  her  story.  "  I  've 
almost  forgotten  where  I  was,"  she  said  listlessly. 

"  This  morning,"  prompted  Frances,  with  such 
an  exact,  unconscious  imitation  of  Ursula's  tone 
that  everybody  laughed,  and  as  a  result  the  atmo- 
sphere cleared  wonderfully. 

"  Well,  this  morning,"  resumed  Ursula,  "  one 
of  the  girls,  a  Miss  Ireland,  came  to  me  in  quite  a 
state  of  excitement.  'The  editor  in  chief  lias  sent 
for  the  three  of  us,'  she  said.  *  We  are  to  go  right 


URSULA'S  STORY  11 

down  to  his  office.  I  'm  awfully  afraid  something 's 
wrong  with  our  work.  I  should  have  been  more 
careful.  I  'm  alone  in  the  world,  and  what  I  get 
here  is  all  I  have  to  live  on.'  I  felt  sorry  for 
her ;  for  though  in  the  same  box  as  far  as  money 
is  concerned,  I  'm  so  much  better  off  than  she  is 
in  having  all  you  dear  ones."  With  her  annoy- 
ance quite  forgotten,  Ursula  beamed  affectionately 
on  the  circle  of  upturned,  interested  faces  which 
reflected  the  love  shining  out  on  them  through  her 
own  bright  eyes.  "  So  I  tried  to  comfort  her. 
*  Why  jump  to  the  conclusion  that  it  's  trouble 
ahead  of  you?'  I  told  her.  'This  may  mean 
something  better  than  you  have  had  '  —  for  the 
minute  I  entirely  forgot  that  I  was  in  it,  too.  But 
she  was  determined  to  look  on  the  dark  side. 
And  down  we  went  to  Mr.  Driscal's  office.  He 
is  a  very  cross-looking  man,  with  a  loud  voice  and 
a  nervous,  jerky,  fierce  manner.  Why,  when  he 
makes  the  simplest  remark  you'd  almost  think 
he  was  going  to  bite  your  head  off !  He  is  n't  in 
the  least  polite.  He  soon  let  us  know  why  he  'd 
sent  for  us.  '  Each  of  you  take  a  desk,'  he  said  — 
he  fairly  roared ;  the  offices  are  only  partitioned  off, 
and  all  open  at  the  top,  so  everybody  on  that  floor 
must  have  heard  him ;  '  take  a  desk,'  he  said,  '  and 
write  me  an  article  —  a  column  length  —  on  the 
conditions  of  the  poor  in  New  York  city.'  Then 
he  swung  round  again  in  his  swivel  chair,  and  went 
on  with  his  work  as  unconcernedly  as  if  what  had 
happened  was  a  most  ordinary  every-day  occur- 
rence. But  somehow  we  felt  that  this  piece  of 


12  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

writing  meant  a  great  deal  to  us  —  perhaps  our 
positions.  So  we  took  our  places  at  the  '  desks ' 
—  mine  was  an  old  table,  with  a  game  leg  —  and 
began.  At  least  the  other  two  girls  began  —  I 
heard  their  pens  scratching — but  I  couldn't  think 
of  one  single  thing  to  write  !  I  could  n't  concen- 
trate my  mind  on  the  subject,  try  as  I  would.  I 
could  n't  think  of  how  to  begin,  or  what  to  say. 
I  felt  a  perfect  fool !  " 

"  Goodness  me  !  do  hurry  on  !  "  cried  Margaret 
and  Frances  excitedly,  as  Ursula  paused  te  take 
breath ;  she  could  not  now  complain  of  want  of 
interest  in  her  audience. 

"  The  very  sound  of  the  other  girls'  pens  rushing 
so  rapidly  over  the  paper  seemed  to  add  to  the 
dreadful  feeling  of  incompetency  —  of  idiocy  — 
that  had  hold  of  me,"  went  on  Ursula.  "  I  wrote 
*  Conditions  of  the  Poor '  at  the  top  of  my  paper ; 
then  sat  and  stared  hopelessly  at  the  wall  before 
me,  and  thought  of  the  most  irrelevant,  silliest 
subjects  —  what  kind  of  a  winter  hat  I  should  like 
to  have,  what  mother  might  give  us  for  dinner. 
Truly!"  at  the  chorus  of  indignant,  disappointed 
exclamations  from  the  family.  "  As  far  as  writing 
on  the  condition  of  the  poor  was  concerned,  my 
mind  was  a  perfect  blank !  And  what  made  mat- 
ters worse  was,  that  back  of  the  horrible  apathy 
was  that  strong  conviction  that  this  opportunity 
was  one  I  should  always  regret  having  lost.  Then, 
all  at  once,  a  curious  feeling  —  a  sort  of  doing-it- 
against-my-will  feeling  —  made  me  look  round,  and 
there,  to  my  left,  in  one  of  the  small  offices  which 


URSULA'S  STORY  13 

opened  into  our  large  room,  was  a  man  looking  in- 
tently at  me  through  the  open  door.  I  could  see 
he  was  very  tall,  very  slender,  with  a  little  stoop 
about  the  shoulders ;  and  he  had  the  most  serious, 
nicest  face  that  you  could  imagine !  But  his  hair, 
girls !  "  Ursula  threw  out  her  hands  and  laughed 
merrily  at  the  recollection.  "  It  stood  up  in  the 
funniest  little  spears  all  over  his  head  —  as  if  he  'd 
been  running  his  hands  wildly  through  it,  or  try- 
ing to  comb  his  locks  with  the  poker.  You  can't 
think  what  a  comical  contrast  it  presented  to  his  se- 
rious face !  But  I  very  soon  forgot  all  that  in  his 
great  kindness.  Looking  straight  at  me,  with  the 
most  earnest  expression,  he  said  in  a  low  but  per- 
fectly distinct  voice  —  the  people  in  our  office 
must  have  heard  him  :  '  Don't  be  frightened ;  you 
can  do  what  is  required.  Put  it  in  story  form  — 
or  any  way  you  please —  but  write  ! '  And  as  he 
said  that,  an  idea  flashed  into  my  mind.  '  Oh, 
thank  you,  very  much ! '  I  whispered  back.  I  would 
have  liked  to  have  every  letter  in  the  sentence  a 
capital,  I  felt  so  grateful  to  him.  Then  he  shut 
his  door  to,  and  I  began  to  write.  And  really,  it 
seemed  as  if  I  could  n't  get  the  words  on  paper 
fast  enough,  they  came  into  my  mind  so  rapidly ; 
was  n't  that  queer  ?  And  I  wrote  about  one  of 
your  poor  people,  Judy  —  about  poor  little  Joe 
Foyle  "  — 

"Oh,  Ursula,  did  you?  Oh,  what  did  you 
say  ?  "  cried  Judith.  In  an  instant  her  little  af- 
fectations of  airy  indifference  fell  away  ;  she  hastily 
sat  up,  and  with  eyes  alight,  her  whole  face  kin- 


14  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

dling,  bent  eagerly  forward  toward  the  girl  on  the 
table. 

"  I  told  of  Joe's  wretched  home,"  replied  Ursxila, 
slowly,  reflectively;  "of  his  worthless  father,  his 
drunken  mother  ;  of  his  miserable,  ragged  condi- 
tion ;  of  how  difficult  it  had  been  to  get  any 
hold  whatever  on  him.  I  told  of  the  suit  of  clothes 

—  the  only  decent  clothes  of  his  life  —  that  he 
had  saved  up  for,  penny  by  penny  ;  of  their  effect 
upon  him,  and  how  through  them  he  had  (with  in- 
finite patience  and  a  heroic  faith  in  the  existence  of 
the  divine  spark  in  man)  been  gradually  lifted  to 
some  slight  sense  of  respectability.     I  told  of  how 
proud  he  had  been  of  his  new  suit ;  how  carefully 
it  had  been  worn  on  Sundays  and  high  days,  and 
at   other   times   been    hidden  in  the  most  secret 
corner  of  his  forlorn  home,  to  escape  his  mother's 
hungry  eyes.     I  told  of  his  hiding  the  cherished 
garments,  in  desperation  for  a  new  place,  in  the 
oven  of  the  old  disused  stove  which,  as  he  thought, 
stood  in  a  forgotten  corner  of  his  home.     I  told  of 
the  discovery  of  them,  and  of  Joe's  bitter  despair 
when  he  reached  home  one  afternoon  to  find  his 
clothes  gone  —  for  drink  !     I  told  it  in  story  form 

—  I  added  not  one  word  to  the  truth.     But  oh, 
mother,  girls !  the  pitifulness  of  the  whole  thing 
came  to  me  with  such  force !    It  gripped  my  heart. 
I  forgot  all  about  Mr.  Driscal,  and  that  what  I  AMIS 
setting  down  there  was  to  come  under  his  critical 
eye  —  I  forgot  all  about  '  space '  and  the  paper 

I  simply  wrote  !    My  face  was  wet  with  tears  wlicn 
I  got  through." 


URSULA'S  STORY  15 

There  were  tears  now  in  Ursula's  eyes,  and  she 
finished  with  a  break  in  her  voice ;  there  were 
tears,  too,  in  the  eyes  of  those  who  were  listening 
to  her.  They  remembered  the  wild  outburst  of 
grief  with  which  Joe  had  told  his  loss  to  his  be- 
loved "  Miss  Judit,"  and  the  reckless,  unreachable 
lawlessness  into  which  he  had  relapsed.  "  Ain't 
no  use  gi'n'  me  more  clo'es  —  they  '11  on'y  go  same 
way.  I  don'  wan'  no  more,"  Joe  had  declared,  in 
the  bitterness  of  his  heart,  and  had  persisted  in 
his  resolve. 

"Oh,  my  poor  people! — my  poor  people!  "  cried 
Judith,  springing  up,  a  sharp  sorrow  in  her  voice 
that  surprised  the  family ;  she  was  not  given  to 
such  outbursts.  "  Oh,  mother,  girls,"  turning  pas- 
sionately to  them,  "  you  can't  think  how  their  trials 
and  sorrows  and  wants  weigh  on  me  sometimes  ; 
how  I  feel  for  the  poor  things  since  I  've  been  a 
*  visitor '  among  them  !  Their  life  is  so  narrow 
and  hard !  And  they  're  only  human  beings ;  they 
crave  warmth  and  comfort  and  happiness  as  well  as 
the  rest  of  us.  God  has  put  the  same  instincts  into 
us  all.  It  seems  to  me  that  I  fairly  long  for  money 
these  days,  to  be  able  to  do  things  for  my  poor 
people  —  things  that  one  can't  expect  the  Church 
or  the  Societies  to  do.  I  mean,  to  give  a  treat 
here  and  there  to  some  poor,  overworked  mother 
who  is  all  tired  out  and  discouraged,  and  needs 
cheering  up  ;  or  a  little  inexpensive  present  to  an- 
other, something  bright  and  pretty  ;  I  would  n't 
care  whether  't  was  a  frivolous  something  or  not, 
so  long  as  it  gave  genuine  pleasure.  And  for 


16  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

my  boys  and  girls  —  ah !  "  (the  color  flamed  into 
Judith's  pale  face)  "  I  want  a  great  deal  for  them. 
First  and  foremost,  a  splendid  big  playground  — 
with  grass  in  summer,  on  which  they  could  sit 
and  walk  and  run  whenever  they  pleased;  with 
great  heaps  of  earth,  too,  and  sand  standing  about 
• —  in  winter  and  at  all  times  —  where  the  children 
could  play  and  roll  and  tumble  "  —  Judith  broke 
off  abruptly.  "  Do  you  know,"  she  said  sharply, 
"  that  some  of  my  boys  hardly  know  their  Mother 
Earth  except  as  a  handful  in  a  little  clay  flower- 
pot, or  as  builders'  property,  off  which  they  are 
chased  if  they  dare  set  foot  on  it  ?  Remember  our 
mud  pies  in  the  country,  girls,  our  rolls  in  the 
sand,  our  forts  and  caves,  our  joy,  and  then  pity 
these  poor,  defrauded  children!  If  I  could  get 
a  big,  big  place  for  them,  where  they  could  play 
ball  and  marbles  and  tennis,  fly  kites,  skip  ropes 
—  do  any  and  everything  that  would  make  their 
bodies  healthy  —  I  'm  sure  their  minds  and  souls 
would  grow  healthy,  too.  'T  would  make  better 
girls  and  boys  ;  by  and  by,  better  men  and  women, 
better  fathers  and  mothers,  better  citizens.  Only 
a  playground  to  do  all  that.  But  I  have  n't 
the  money  to  get  it  for  them  —  not  one  cent !  " 
"With  a  tragic  gesture  and  a  sharp  indrawing  of 
her  breath  that  was  almost  a  sob,  Judith  sank 
down  on  the  lounge  again  and  buried  her  face  in 
her  twin's  shoulder. 

There  was  a  sympathetic  silence.  Then,  in  the 
loving,  tranquil  manner  that  had  so  often  givni 
comfort  to  her  children,  Mrs.  Jeffrey  said :  "  Don't 


URSULA'S  STORY  17 

get  discouraged,  daughter.  Do  the  lesser  things 
that  come  as  your  portion  —  do  them  cheerfully 
and  well  and  —  leave  the  greater  ones  in  God's 
hands.  Until  the  fund  and  the  playground  come, 
do  your  best  with  what  is  in  your  power,  and  be 
thankful  for  it." 

"  And  what  became  of  your  paper,  Ursa  ? " 
asked  Margaret  presently. 

"  Oh  yes  —  I  did  n't  finish,"  Ursula  said,  with 
a  little  start  of  recollection.  -  "  And  that 's  the  best 
part  of  the  story,  too.  Well,  the  papers  were 
handed  to  Mr.  Driscal,  and  we  only  heard  the 
result  just  before  leaving  the  office.  As  it  turns 
out  the  morning's  work  was  a  test,  and  the  re- 
sult stands  like  this  :  Miss  Halliday's  paper  was 
'  turned  down,'  and  she  goes  away  —  she  says  she 
does  n't  care.  Miss  Ireland's  paper  was  also  re- 
fused, but  she  is  to  stay  on  and  continue  the 
paragraphic  work.  And  my  little  story  "  —  Ur- 
sula paused,  and  smiled  provokingly  at  the  eager 
family. 

"  Oh,  go  on  !  "  they  cried  breathlessly. 

"  My  little  story  is  accepted,  and  will  be  pub- 
lished in  to-morrow's  paper ;  our  Saturday  number, 
you  know.  Is  n't  that  perfectly  amazing  ?  Wait 
—  wait  —  there 's  more  to  tell,"  as  Frances  hastily 
arose,  to  Miss  Weewee's  great  surprise  and  dis- 
gust, and  with  a  shout  of  delight  fell  upon  Ur- 
sula's neck.  "Furthermore,  Mr.  Driscal  has 
directed  me  to  write  another  story,  for  next  Satur- 
day's paper ;  in  fact,  a  series  of  short  stories  on 
the  same  lines  as  this  first  one,  and  which  will 


18  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

appear  in  the  paper  from  week  to  week.  Besides, 
I  '111  to  try  my  'prentice  hand  at  a  short  article 
now  and  then.  And  how  do  you  suppose  Mr. 
Driscal  came  to  think  I  could  do  such  work  ?  The 
make-up  editor  told  me  —  just  those  very  para- 
graphics  that  I  had  written.  He  noticed  them  in  the 
paper,  and  asked  whose  work  they  were.  Little 
did  I  dream  they  would  bring  me  this  advancement. 
I  only  hope  I  may  not  fall  short  of  what  is  ex- 
pected of  me." 

For  a  moment  Ursula  looked  dubious,  but  the 
confident  assurance  of  the  family  that  she  would 
be  sure  to  be  more  than  equal  to  all  the  demands 
made  upon  her,  and  their  prophecy  of  a  brilliant 
future,  soon  sent  her  spirits  up  again. 

"  Some  of  the  people  in  the  office  say  it  is  a  fine 
beginning,"  she  said,  with  modest  pride.  "And 
on  my  way  out,  this  afternoon,  I  met  the  gentleman 
who  had  given  me  courage  when  I  most  needed  it. 
I  feel  I  owe  my  success  to  his  kindness,  and  I  told 
him  so,  at  which  he  seemed  much  surprised.  'I 
have  sisters,'  he  said,  as  if  that  explained  the  whole 
proceeding.  Then,  presently,  when  we  had  talked 
together  for  a  few  minutes,  he  pulled  out  his  card, 
and  in  the  most  simple,  straightforward,  and  sol- 
emn fashion  presented  it  to  me.  '  I  am  in  the 
office  every  day.  Should  you  need  assistance  at 
any  time,  I  hope  you  will  not  hesitate  to  call  upon 
me  for  it,'  he  told  me.  My  dears,  from  his  man- 
ner you  would  have  imagined  him  a  grandfather,  at 
the  very  least !  Here  's  the  card." 

"  I  don't  like  your  making  acquaintance  in  that 


URSULA'S  STORY  19 

way  —  with  strange  men !  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Jeffrey 
uneasily. 

But  her  daughters  were  crowding  their  heads 
together  over  the  small  piece  of  pasteboard,  and  a 
chorus  of  voices  announced,  "  John  Minot  Rose !  " 

"That's  his  name,  mother,"  added  Ursula. 
"  And  he  is  n't  a  '  strange  man  '  at  all.  He  is  a 
most  valued  member  of  the  Leader  editorial  staff, 
and  the  author  of  those  stories  that  we  all  like  so 
much  — '  The  Passing  of  our  Little  Brother,  the 
Lark,'  and  '  In  the  Heart  of  the  Woods,'  and 
others.  Don't  you  remember  them  ?  " 

"  Oh,  /  know  who  he  is  —  I  know  him  !  And 
he  's  just  as  nice  as  he  can  be !  "  cried  Margaret 
eagerly,  and  somewhat  incoherently.  "  He  be- 
longs to  a  large  family  —  they  all  visit  Miss  Aus- 
tin and  her  brother ;  they  call  him  *  Jack  Rose.' 
Oh,  they  are  nice  people,  mother !  I  know  all  about 
them.  He  has  four  married  sisters :  Nannie, 
who  is  Mrs.  Maxwell  Derwent ;  she  often  brings 
her  two  boys  and  her  little  girl  to  see  Miss  Aus- 
tin. They  're  lively  young  persons,  too,  I  can  tell 
you.  And  I  believe  there  is  a  baby.  Then  there 's 
Nora  —  Mrs.  Chad  wick  Whitcombe  —  who  is  very 
beautiful  and  refined  and  fashionable,  and  knows 
it.  Mrs.  Hilliard  Erveng  is  the  one  I  like  best  — 
'  quicksilver  Betty,'  Miss  Austin  calls  her.  She 
is  so  merry  and  bright  —  a  perfect  contrast  to  her 
sober,  rather  dull-looking  husband.  Mrs.  Erveng 
has  two  children  —  a  sturdy  boy,  and  a  shy  blos- 
som of  a  little  girl  named  Alice.  Another  sister, 
Katharine,  was  married  last  spring  to  an  English- 


20  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

man,  the  Honorable  Mr.  Warwick,  and  is  now 
living  in  England.  Miss  Austin  says  this  Mr. 
Warwick  was  once  very  much  in  love  with  Mrs. 
Erveng,  before  she  married.  There  is  still  an- 
other sister  —  Mlidel ;  she  lives  in  the  old  home 
with  her  father  (who  writes  books  about  the  An- 
cients) and  her  brother,  Mr.  Felix  Rose,  and  his 
wife.  Mr.  Felix  Rose  has  charge  of  the  Austins' 
law  affairs ;  he  is  a  prominent  lawyer,  and  his  wife 
is  a  noble  woman.  I  admire  her  immensely !  She 
is  always  so  sweet  and  friendly  to  me.  I  've 
spoken  of  it  here  at  home  many  a  time  —  you  peo- 
ple must  remember.  I  'm  sure  you  'd  all  love  her 
for  it.  She  knows  I  am  a  gentlewoman,  even  if 
I  am  Miss  Austin's  paid  companion  !  "  The  rich 
color  deepened  in  Margaret's  cheeks,  and  her  bril- 
liant eyes  grew  proud. 

"  Well !  I  should  think  she  would  know  it !  " 
exclaimed  Ursula,  with  such  angry  energy  that  the 
family  had  to  laugh,  and  "  Don't  explode,  Ursa !  " 
warned  Judith. 

"  Mrs.  Felix,  as  Miss  Austin  calls  her,"  con- 
tinued Margaret,  enjoying  the  position  of  histo- 
rian, "  has  one  child,  another  Felix,  and  I  believe 
old  Mr.  Rose  is  as  fond  of  his  son's  wife  as  if  she 
were  his  own  daughter.  The  young  men  —  Jack 
Rose,  and  Paul  and  Alan  Rose,  his  brothers  —  all 
visit  at  the  Austins'.  They  are  musical,  and  some- 
times Miss  Austin  has  me  come  in  to  play  accom- 
paniments, when  they  call  of  an  evening.  Paul 
has  the  reputation  of  being  very  brilliant.  I 
know  he  is  very  sarcastic,  and,  /  think,  conceited. 


URSULA'S  STORY  21 

Alan  is  a  pleasant  sort  of  fellow ;  not  a  bit  intel- 
lectual, but  honest  and  well-meaning,  and  devoted 
to  Paul.  They  are  both  at  college.  But  best  of 
them  all  I  like  Mr.  Jack  Rose.  Oh,  by  the  way," 
with  a  sudden  assumption  of  carelessness,  and  be- 
stowing close  attention  on  the  folds  of  the  old 
tablecloth  which  she  was  shaking  out,  "  he  knows 
Jim  —  Jim  Ivors.  I  mean  Mr.  Rose  told  me  the 
other  day  that  he  knows  Jim.  Now,"  deter- 
minedly ignoring  an  exclamation  of  interest  from 
Ursula,  "  is  n't  it  about  time  that  some  one  went 
out  and  rescued  uncle  Gabe  from  that  tiresome 
protege  of  his  ?  I  've  been  here  almost  all  the 
afternoon,  and  I  have  n't  seen  him  for  more  than 
a  few  minutes.  That  horrid  man  never  knows 
when  to  go." 

"  I  '11  send  him  off.  He  '11  be  sure  to  have  bor- 
rowed every  cent  the  dear  old  boy  had  in  his 
pocket,"  asserted  Frances. 

Going  to  the  front  door  she  opened  it,  and  in 
a  tone  of  subdued  excitement  called,  "  Uncle  — 
uncle  Gabriel !  Margaret  is  here,  and  waiting  to 
see  you.  Could  n't  you  come  at  once  ?  " 

"  That  will  fetch  him,"  she  declared,  returning 
to  the  family. 


CHAPTER  H 

UNCLE   GABE 

IN  a  few  minutes  after  his  niece's  call  Mr.  Kin- 
caid  tripped  lightly  into  the  dining-room,  wearing 
an  air  half  jubilant,  half  deprecating. 

"  Well,  Gabriel,  that  man  has  made  a  visita- 
tion !  "  "  Are  n't  you  exhausted,  uncle  Gabe  ?  " 
"  How  much  did  he  borrow  this  time  ?  "  "  He  is 
a  fraud  —  a  humbug,  sir !  "  were  some  of  the  re- 
marks offered  to  the  gentleman  by  his  sister  and 
his  nieces. 

The  Reverend  Gabriel  Kincaid  had  no  size  to 
boast  of  ;  he  was  barely  of  medium  height,  slender, 
not  to  say  thin,  and  so  round-shouldered  that  his 
much-worn  shiny  sack  coat  went  up  in  the  back 
and  sagged  ungracefully  in  front.  His  clerical 
waistcoat  and  bagged-at-the-knees  trousers  also 
showed  more  than  signs  of  long  use.  A  little 
black  silk  skullcap  —  pushed  well  off  his  fore- 
head, and  now  rakishly  askew  —  covered  uncle 
Gabe's  bald  head,  allowing  just  a  fringe  of  brown 
hair  mixed  with  gray  to  appear  below  its  rim. 
Gray  was  in  the  slight  brown  mustache  as  well, 
and  plentifully  streaked  the  short  pointed  beard 
which  its  owner  was  so  fond  of  stroking  as  he 
talked.  Spectacles  protected  a  pair  of  small,  pro- 


UNCLE  GABE  23 

minent,  short-sighted  brown  eyes;  and  there  was 
a  fine  color  in  uncle  Gabriel's  cheeks,  a  jaunty 
smile  upon  his  lips.  This  last,  however,  and  his 
jubilant  expression  vanished  at  the  remarks  that 
met  him,  and  he  looked  distressed. 

"  My  dears,  you  must  not  judge  so  harshly,"  he 
said,  in  mild  rebuke.  "•  You  would  never  say  such 
unkind  things  if  you  knew  the  unfortunate  man's 
story.  He  has  passed  through  deep  waters  — 
de-ep  waters ! "  Uncle  Gabriel  sighed  heavily 
and  stroked  his  beard. 

"  Well,  now,  confess,"  urged  Frances,  who  was 
her  uncle's  favorite,  shaking  a  saucy  finger  at  him. 
"  Did  n't  that  '  unfortunate '  —  now  don't  look  as 
if  I  'd  called  him  names  —  did  n't  he  borrow  money 
of  you  to-day  ?  Did  n't  he  ?  " 

Mr.  Kincaid  showed  signs  of  guilt.  The  bright 
spot  of  red  in  his  cheeks  deepened,  and  he  looked 
deprecatingly  at  his  women  folk.  "  I  had  but  a 
quarter  to  my  name,"  he  said.  "  And  what  was 
that  to  a  hungry  man  ?  " 

"  Did  n't  I  tell  you !  Had  it  been  a  dollar,  he  'd 
have  gotten  it  just  the  same,"  asserted  Frances, 
with  conviction.  "Uncle  Gabe,  that  man  comes 
only  for  what  he  can  get  out  of  you.  He  has  a 
horrid  face  —  a  hardened  convict  might  look  as 
he  does."  Mr.  Kincaid  gave  a  start.  "  And  he 's 
entirely  too  big  and  fat  to  be  in  a  starving  condi- 
tion,5' went  on  Frances.  "  Can't  make  me  believe 
that !  You  've  gotten  him  two  situations :  why 
did  n't  he  keep  them,  and  not  be  coming  here  two 
or  three  times  a  week,  borrowing  the  little  money 


24  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

you  have  ?  We  think  him  a  fraud,  a  regular  hum- 
bug —  and  I  'm  almost  positive  he  is !  He  is  just 
imposing  on  you  !  " 

"  Oh  no,  he  is  n't,  my  dear,"  returned  uncle 
Gabriel,  with  equal  conviction.  "  I  was  n't  born 
yesterday ;  I  understand  human  nature,"  with  a 
sagacious  wag  of  his  head,  '•'•pretty  well.  This 
poor  creature  has  had  a  most  checkered  existence 
—  a  most  sad  life  !  He  has  been  falsely  accused, 
been  infamously  wronged  "  — 

"  That 's  the  story  he  tells  ;  how  d'  you  know 
it 's  true  ?  "  interpolated  Margaret. 

But  Mr.  Kincaid  turned  a  deaf  ear,  and  went 
on  with  his  remarks  :  "  He  has  fallen  into  evil  — 
lost  his  good  name  and  his  dear  ones  —  and  is 
now  repentant  and  seeking  the  forgiveness  of  his 
God.  I  would  have  the  heart  of  a  stone,  not  of  a 
fellow  man,  to  turn  from  him  now.  What  is  a 
quarter,  or  a  dollar,  or"  —growing  emphatic  — 
"dollars,  in  comparison  with  the  bringing  of  a 
lost  son  home  to  his  Father  !  This  poor  fellow  — 
his  name  is  Jared  Watkins  "  (uncle  Gabe  waved 
his  hand  in  the  direction  of  the  hall,  as  if  intro- 
ducing his  departed  protege)  —  "  this  poor  fellow 
comes  to  me  with  his  trials  and  sorrows,  and  his 
efforts  toward  a  better  life ;  would  I  be  a  faith- 
ful minister  of  the  Gospel,  a  true  follower  of  the 
Master,  to  turn  my  back  on  him  ?  Now  tell  me 
that !  "  Mr.  Kincaid  finished  abruptly,  took  off 
his  glasses  and  began  rubbing  them  vigorously 
with  a  small  piece  of  chamois  which  he  drew  out 
of  his  coat  pocket,  meanwhile  peering  in  his  short- 


UNCLE  GABE  25 

sighted  fashion  at  his  sister,  who  sat  silent  and 
with  a  contrite  face. 

The  girls,  too,  though  unconvinced,  were  silent 
for  a  brief  space ;  then  Judith  said,  in  a  tone  that 
might  be  considered  apologetic :  "  You  see,  uncle 
Gabe,  I  know  all  about  my  poor  people.  I  go  to 
see  them  in  their  homes,  and  have  ways  of  knowing 
that  what  they  tell  me  is  true,  and  that  the  help 
they  get  is  put  to  good  use.  But  you  do  get  de- 
ceived ;  some  of  your  proteges  have  taken  a  mean 
advantage  of  your  kindness.  And  we  hate  to  see 
you  imposed  on  — again.  That 's  why  we  spoke." 

Uncle  Gabriel  was  willing  to  accept  to  the  ut- 
most all  that  Judith's  tone  might  imply.  "  Well 
—  eh  — well  —  perhaps  it  looks  a  little  that  way," 
he  reluctantly  admitted,  though  with  a  kindly 
glance  at  his  niece  through  the  glasses  which  were 
once  more  astride  his  well-defined  Roman  nose. 
"  But,"  brightening  up,  "  if  even  only  one  out 
of  ten  was  benefited,  comforted,  heartened  on  the 
way,  that  more  than  compensates  for  the  imposi- 
tion of  the  other  nine.  Does  n't  it  ?  Eh  ?  Better 
for  me  to  be  imposed  on  —  er  —  occasionally,"  with 
an  airy  wave  of  his  hand,  "  than  that  I  should 
refuse  or  slight  one  fellow  creature  that  asks  for  as- 
sistance or  needs  it —  eh?"  Mr.  Kincaid  put  his 
hands  in  the  pockets  of  his  trousers  and  rattled 
loudly  the  keys  he  had  there,  beaming  on  the  fam- 
ily with  an  expression  that  said  plainly,  "That 
clinches  the  argument." 

Everybody  smiled,  while  Ursula  flew  at  her 
uncle,  and  pulling  off  his  cap  kissed  the  top  of  his 


26  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

bald  head.  "  You  dear,  blessed,  innocent  Doctor 
Primrose  !  "  she  exclaimed.  "  Now  let 's  drop  the 
protege,  and  I  '11  tell  you  something  unexpected 
that 's  happened  to  me  to-day  "  —  which  she  imme- 
diately proceeded  to  do,  encouraged  to  a  full  and 
detailed  account  by  the  suggestions  and  reminders 
of  her  mother  and  sisters. 

Uncle  Gabriel  listened  with  the  most  sympa- 
thetic interest.  "  Well  —  well ! "  he  exclaimed, 
when  Ursula  finished.  "  If  this  is  n't  splendid  news ! 
Well,  you  deserve  it,  Ursula  —  you  're  a  good  girl. 
You  '11  make  good  use  of  this  opening ;  I  'm  glad 
you  've  got  it.  Now  you  're  all  breadwinners," 
glancing  around  the  circle  of  his  nieces,  "  all  bring- 
ing in  something  toward  the  support  of  the  home. 
You,  Margaret,"  pointing  at  her  with  the  long  lean 
forefinger  of  the  scholar,  "  are  Miss  Austin's  com- 
panion ;  Ursula,  you  have  only  to  go  on  as  you  've 
begun  and  you  '11  be  a  noted  writer  yet ;  you,  Ju- 
dith, have  your  visiting  among  the  poor  —  which 
should  prove  as  helpful  to  you  as  to  them ;  Ruth 
has  her  beautiful  art  embroidery  ;  and  Frances  "- 

"And  Frances  is  the  dummy  of  the  family," 
interrupted  that  young  person,  with  unexpected 
heat,  and  clutching  the  unsuspecting  Miss  Wee  wee 
to  her  with  cruel  force  (which  that  feline  imme- 
diately resented  by  making  a  precipitous  descent 
over  the  shoulder  against  which  she  had  been  rest- 
ing). "Frances  can  do  nothing  but  take  the 
hard-earned  money  of  her  sisters  to  pay  for  singing 
lessons  —  money  that  she  may  never  be  able  to 
return !  I  'm  the  only  drone  in  the  hive.  If 


UNCLE  GABE  27 

you  people  could  know  how  mean  I  feel  some- 
times !  " 

"  Why,  Francie,  child,  you  are  my  right  hand, 
here  at  home !  "  "  Now,  Frances,  don't  you  say  such 
silly  and  unkind  things !  "  "  Would  n't  you  do  as 
much  for  one  of  us  ?  "  "  And  when  you  know 
the  hopes  we  all  centre  in  you !  "  cried  the  mother 
and  sisters,  in  respective  tones  of  encouragement 
and  exasperation. 

Mr.  Kincaid  threw  a  glance  of  mild  rebuke  at 
his  favorite,  and  calmly  continued  his  remarks. 
"  Now  if  I  could  but  find  a  parish,  we  would  all  be 
doing  well,"  he  said. 

"  Why,  uncle  Gabe,  I  thought  you  were  editing 
two  papers  !  "  exclaimed  Margaret.  "  You  told 
me  so  once,  when  I  was  at  home." 

"  Yes,  my  dear,  he  does  edit  two  papers,"  put  in 
Judith,  before  her  uncle  could  reply.  "  But  they 
are  so  poorly  off  for  funds  and  have  so  small  a  cir- 
culation that  the  editor's  salary  comes  in  spasmodic, 
semi-no-time  payments.  That 's  the  Hebrew  paper. 
The  Italian  one  has  never  paid  him  a  cent.  And 
the  car  fares  the  dear  creature  has  spent  going 
to  the  office  —  it's  away  downtown,  by  the  river  — 
the  time  and  trouble  and  money  he  has  expended 
on  the  poor  Italians  who  read  the  paper  and  come 
to  him  with  their  tales  of  woe,  can  neither  be 
counted  nor  measured !  Sometimes  he  has  three 
and  four  of  them  at  a  time,  out  in  the  hall.  And 
they  are  always  the  hungriest  people ! "  Judith 
gave  her  twin  sister  a  little  reminiscent  nudge,  and 
they  both  laughed. 


28  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

"  It 's  a  shame  for  uncle  Gabe  to  be  wasting  his 
talents  in  such  work,"  declared  Ruth,  in  her  soft, 
slow  voice.  "  He  should  be  president  of  some  col- 
lege, or  have  a  professorship  "  —  The  sentence 
broke  off  abruptly,  at  a  warning  glance  from  Mar- 
garet. In  one  short  year,  long  ago,  while  holding 
a  professorship  in  a  Western  college,  uncle  Gabriel 
had  lost  his  young  wife  and  little  son,  and  had 
suffered  a  grievous  wrong  as  well,  and  the  wounds 
were  still  tender.  "  He  —  he  —  knows  so  many 
languages,"  finished  Ruth  lamely. 

But  it  is  doubtful  if  Mr.  Kincaid  had  heard  her. 
He  stood  looking  out  at  the  patch  of  blue  sky  which 
was  visible  through  the  western  window,  and 
thoughtfully  stroking  his  beard. 

"  You  see,  Margaret,  it 's  this  way,"  he  said, 
turning  and  addressing  his  eldest  niece.  "  The 
Hebrews  pay  me  whenever  they  've  got  the  money. 
They  are  thoroughly  honest.  When  they  have  n't 
got  it,  why,  I  can't  expect  it.  The  Italians  can't 
pay  me,  for  the  simple  reason  that  they  've  barely 
enough  to  keep  the  paper  afloat  —  to  pay  for 
paper,  printing,  etc.  Only  one  man  gets  paid, 
and,"  stoutly,  "  he  ought  to  be  ;  he  can't  find  an- 
other thing  to  do,  and  he  has  a  wife  and  child  to 
support."  (Uncle  Gabriel  did  not  add,  as  he  might 
have  done,  that  he  had  voluntarily  made  over  his 
salary  as  editor  in  chief  to  this  man,  though  still 
cheerfully  and  faithfully  fulfilling  all  the  duties  of 
the  post.)  "  And  if  I  gave  up  the  paper  it  would  go 
to  pieces,"  went  on  Mr.  Kincaid  ;  "  for,  you  know, 
my  dear,"  with  the  most  innocent,  unconscious 


UNCLE  GABE  29 

egoism,  "  it  is  n't  everybody  who  has  my  knowledge 
of  languages.  Never  been  the  slightest  trouble  to 
me  to  learn  a  language  !  Let  me  see ;"  he  stopped 
stroking  his  beard,  and  began  counting  on  his  long 
thin  fingers  :  "  English,  French,  German,  Italian  — 
those  I  speak  almost  equally  well.  Greek,  Latin, 
Hebrew,  Sanskrit,  I  know  thoroughly ;  Spanish 
and  the  Norse  tongues  I  read.  More  than  ten  in 
all !  "  Sticking  his  hands  in  his  pockets,  uncle 
Gabriel  rattled  his  keys  loudly  and  beamed  upon 
his  niece,  bright-eyed  and  smiling  —  in  simple, 
genuine  admiration  of  what  he  called  his  "  gift." 
"Seems  if  I  ought  to  make  something  out  of  all 
that,  doesn't  it  ?  "  he  asked  proudly.  "  Why,  Hel- 
mud,  you  know  —  President  Helmud,  of  Harvan 
College  —  used  to  say  to  me,  again  and  again : 
'  Kincaid,  I  'd  give  a  good  deal  for  your  knowledge 
of  languages.  It 's  phenomenal ! '  And  there  is  n't 
a  man-jack  that  comes  into  that  little  river  office, 
no  matter  what  part  of  Italy  he  hails  from,  that  I 
can't  talk  to  him,  and  understand  and  be  under- 
stood by  him.  It 's  just  a  gift  I  have  —  in  liberal 
measure,  too  —  ha !  ha !  "  Then  a  shade  fell  upon 
uncle  Gabriel's  expressive  face  ;  his  eyes  returned 
to  the  blue  patch  of  sky.  "  But  I  'd  give  it  all  up 
to-morrow,  to  have  a  parish,"  he  said  wistfully, 

"  Don't  you  be  disheartened,  Gabriel,"  came  in 
Mrs.  Jeffrey's  quiet  tones.  "  You  '11  get  a  parish 
yet,  and  all  the  better  one  for  having  waited  so 
long  for  it." 

"  I  'm  not  looking  for  a  soft  berth,"  put  in  her 
brother  hastily.  "  I  want  a  parish  where  will  be 


30  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

plenty  of  work.  I  'm  not  afraid  of  it,  so  long  as 
I  can  still  have  a  little  time  for  study.  I  'ni  not 
too  old  for  hard  work ;  you  know  I  'm  several 
years  this  side  of  fifty,  Etta.  I  'm  a  good  way  yet 
from  the  '  dead  line.'  "  Uncle  Gabe  held  his  thin 
little  figure  erect  for  a  few  minutes,  and  straight- 
ened his  stooping  shoulders.  "  You  do  think  I  '11 
get  a  parish  ?  I  don't  look  too  old  to  have  one, 
do  I?"  he  asked,  with  an  earnestness  that  was 
pathetic.  His  eyes  passed  swiftly  over  five  of  his 
women  folk,  and  finally  rested  upon  Judith.  The 
critical  faculty  was  strongest  in  her ;  she  was  not 
so  easily  influenced  by  emotion.  "  Do  I  ?  "  he  re- 
peated, addressing  his  question  to  her. 

And  while  the  rest  of  the  family  waited,  in  sur- 
prise that  she  did  not  at  once  respond,  Judith 
looked  carefully  at  her  uncle. 

"  Well,  uncle  Gabe,"  she  remarked  presently 
(calmly  ignoring  Francie's  outburst  of  "  Oh,  do, 
for  goodness'  sake,  say  something !  "),  "  I  don't 
see  why  you  should  n't  be  called  to  a  parish  ;  you 
certainly  do  not  look  superannuated.  There  are  a 
good  many  gray  hairs  in  your  beard,  but  except 
for  that,  it  seems  to  me,  as  far  as  I  can  remember, 
that  you  don't  look  one  day  older  than  you  did  ten 
years  ago,  when  I  was  a  little  girl.  No,  you  are 
certainly  not  too  old  to  have  a  parish,  and  do  good 
work  in  it,  too." 

Mr.  Kincaid  blew  kisses  to  his  niece  from  his 
finger  tips.  "I  shall  remember  you  in  my  will, 
Judith,"  he  remarked  facetiously  ;  then  went  over 
and  stooped  himself  before  the  low,  narrow  mirror 


UNCLE  GABE  31 

in  the  sideboard.  "  H'm !  "  he  murmured  uneasily, 
stroking  his  beard  and  turning  his  head  from  side 
to  side  to  obtain  different  views.  "  There  are  a 
good  many  gray  hairs  in  it.  More  gray  than 
brown  —  I  should  n't  wonder." 

The  door  that  led  into  the  kitchen  slowly  opened, 
and  from  behind  the  screen  which  stood  before  it 
appeared  the  short  square  figure  of  a  girl  whose 
light  flaxen  braids  were  folded  flat  against  the 
back  of  her  head,  and  whose  round  stolid  blue 
eyes  turned  interrogatively  on  her  mistress. 

"Time  for  set  table  —  no?"  she  asked,  with  a 
strong  German  accent. 

"  Why,  there  's  Gretchen  !  I  had  no  idea  't  was 
so  late  !  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Jeffrey,  beginning  hur- 
riedly to  fold  up  her  sewing.  "  Francie,  stay  and 
help  me  straighten  things,  will  you,  dear?  The 
rest  of  you  good  people  will  please  go  into  the  sit- 
ting-room and  remain  there  until  tea  is  ready. 
How  dark  it  has  grown !  Light  the  gas  in  our 
hall,  Ursula." 

It  was  as  the  light  flared  into  existence,  with  her 
hand  still  upstretched  to  the  gas  fixture,  that  Ur- 
sula whispered  over  her  shoulder  to  Margaret, 
"  Mamie,  Jim  is  coming  this  evening  —  right  after 
tea."  Her  tone  was  that  of  one  who  imparts 
pleasant  news,  but  Margaret's  eyebrows  went  to- 
gether in  a  quick  frown,  and  the  color  sprang  warm 
and  vivid  into  her  cheeks. 

"  I  do  wish  I  could  be  at  home  for  one  visit  — 
just  one  —  without  Jim  Ivors  having  to  come  pok- 
ing in !  "  she  cried  angrily,  with  an  impatient, 
petulant  shake  of  her  shoulders. 


32  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

"  Why,  Margaret !  "  exclaimed  Ursula,  in  great 
surprise,  wheeling  sharply  round  upon  her  sister, 
the  burnt  match  still  between  her  fingers.  "  To 
feel  that  way  about  dear  old  Jim  that  we  've  known 
ever  since  we  were  born  —  Jim  who  cares  so  much 
for  you !  You  should  be  ashamed  to  talk  so.  This 
is  something  new  —  what 's  come  over  you  ?  "  Her 
keen  eyes  searched  the  beautiful  face  that  was  so 
provokingly  unreadable.  "  You  don't  half  appre- 
ciate Jim,"  Ursula  said  severely. 

"  Very  likely  not  —  I  never  pretended  to,"  re- 
torted the  perverse  Margaret,  walking  away. 

And  presently,  after  staring  for  several  minutes 
in  a  thoughtful,  absent-minded  fashion  at  the  burnt 
match,  Ursula  threw  it  away,  and  followed  her  sister 
into  the  sitting-room. 


CHAPTER  III 

ONLY   JIM   IVORS 

THE  Jeffreys'  drawing-room  was  a  cosy  place. 
There  were  a  few  somewhat  worn  but  handsome 
pieces  of  furniture  in  it,  which,  at  the  sale  made 
necessary  by  Mr.  Jeffrey's  sudden  death,  a  few 
years  ago,  had  been  bought  in  and  presented  to 
the  widow  and  children  by  his  creditors.  These 
—  among  them  was  a  fine  upright  piano  —  filled 
a  good  deal  of  space,  but  added  greatly  to  the  in- 
terest of  the  small  room,  as  did  the  quaint  silver 
lamp,  some  rare  bits  of  old  family  china,  and  the 
two  or  three  good  pictures  which  hung  upon  the 
walls.  There  were  window  seats,  of  home  manu- 
facture, covered  with  pretty,  inexpensive  material, 
and  on  them  plump  cushions  to  make  the  recesses 
inviting.  Bright-colored  cushions  heaped  up  on 
the  lounge  partly  concealed  its  faded  cover,  and 
lent  picturesque  color  to  the  surroundings.  A 
banjo,  in  its  green  baize  jacket,  stood  in  a  corner 
near  the  piano,  and  there  were  books,  on  book- 
shelves and  tables,  in  plenty. 

The  care  of  this  apartment  fell  chiefly  upon 
Frances,  it  being  the  family  dictum  that  that 
young  person  had  "  wonderfully  good  taste  in  ar- 
ranging a  room ; "  and  Francie's  opinion  of  the 


34  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

little  drawing-room  had  been  frequently  expressed. 
"  It  is  n't  grand,"  she  would  gay,  pausing  for  a 
last  look,  dust-cloth  and  feather  duster  in  hand, 
"  but,"  her  eyes  lingering  in  affectionate  pride  on 
each  cherished  object,  "  anybody  would  know  it 
belonged  to  refined  people." 

And  on  this  evening  the  little  room  fully  justi- 
fied her  estimate  of  it,  with  the  silver  lamp  shed- 
ding abroad  its  soft  glow,  and  in  the  air  the  de- 
lightful fragrance  of  the  one  large  rose  which 
stood  in  a  tall  slender  vase  on  the  mantelpiece. 

The  two  men  who  had  come  in  to  spend  the 
evening  congratulated  themselves  on  being  in  such 
comfortable  quarters.  In  his  inner  consciousness 
Carter  Ferris  was  classifying  them  as  "  bang  up," 
and  Jim  Ivors's  eyes  traveled  with  great  satisfac- 
tion around  the  room,  which  was  his  ideal  of  home, 
coming  back  to  rest  longest  on  Margaret's  beauti- 
ful face  as  she  lounged  in  the  old-fashioned  "  spin- 
dle "  chair. 

Jim  was  in  fine  spirits.  Margaret's  presence 
had  always  that  effect  upon  him,  and  besides,  to- 
night he  had  a  piece  of  "  good  luck  "  to  impart 
that  he  felt  sure  would  be  of  more  than  ordinary 
interest  to  his  friends ;  some  hopes  and  plans  to 
discuss  with  one  of  them,  the  mere  thought  of 
which  set  his  big  happy  heart  thumping  heavily 
against  his  ribs,  and  filled  him  with  a  restless  long- 
ing for  the  end  of  the  evening,  when  he  expected 
to  take  Margaret  back  to  the  Austins'.  By  nature 
Jim  was  a  cheerful  creature ;  care  sat  lightly  upon 
him.  He  enjoyed  his  profession  of  artist,  and  that 


ONLY  JIM  IVORS  35 

it  brought  in  barely  enough  to  live  on  had,  until 
within  the  last  few  years,  been  to  him  a  matter  of 
small  moment.  But  now  —  well,  now  that  consid- 
eration was  of  supreme  importance.  Jim's  habits 
were  simple,  his  dress  indifferent,  his  main  idea 
on  that  subject,  as  far  as  himself  was  concerned, 
being  that  clothes  were  made  to  be  worn  out. 
To-night,  his  gay-colored  necktie  was  faded  and 
worn,  and  there  were  faded  daubs  of  color  on  his 
black  velvet  painting  jacket,  as  Margaret  noted. 
"  The  idea  of  his  wearing  that  jacket  here,  and 
those  trousers !  "  she  thought,  looking  at  him  with 
new,  severely  critical  eyes.  "  Who  but  Jim  Ivors 
would  ever  wear  such  light  trousers  in  winter! 
Why  does  n't  he  dress  like  Carter  Ferris  and  — 
and  —  well,  other  people  ?  " 

Not  being  conscious  of  her  criticism  Jim  was 
undisturbed  by  it,  and  his  gayety  infected  the  rest 
of  the  company.  Sitting  down  to  the  piano  he 
went  through  his  repertoire  of  songs  —  four,  and 
all  to  the  same  accompaniment  —  trolling  out  the 
words  that  came  in  the  lower  notes,  and  dropping 
into  a  full  sweet  whistle  where  the  melody  changed 
into  an  upper  key. 

Stimulated  by  Jim's  example,  others  in  the  com- 
pany began  contributing  to  the  general  entertain- 
ment. Carter  played  dashing  dance  tunes  that  set 
everybody's  feet  twinkling  under  their  chairs ;  and 
dragging  her  uncle  into  the  little  square  corner 
of  the  outer  hall,  Frances  whirled  him  around 
until  the  reverend  gentleman's  untrained  heels 
flew  out  wildly,  and  he  cried  for  mercy.  After 


36  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

that  the  same  young  lady  favored  the  company 
with  a  spring  song  of  Chaminade's,  rendered  in  a 
voice  so  sweet,  so  clear  and  true,  that  the  sisters 
looked  at  each  other  with  open  pride.  Uncle 
Gabriel  was  persuaded  to  sing  his  favorite  "  Three 
Kings  of  Orient  We,"  and  Judith  followed  with 
some  wild,  weird  Norse  music. 

It  was  under  cover  of  this  last  that  Jim  made 
an  opportunity  for  a  few  words  with  Margaret. 
"  Peggie,  I  've  got  a  fine  piece  of  luck  for  you," 
he  whispered.  "  I  '11  tell  you  all  about  it  soon  's 
we  have  a  chance  to  talk  —  when  I  'm  seeing  you 
home  by  and  "  — 

"  That  necktie  you  've  got  on  looks  as  if  you  'd 
given  it  hard  service,"  interrupted  Margaret, 
quickly  and  irrelevantly.  She  eyed  her  friend 
closely  as  he  knelt  near  her  chair,  at  the  low  music 
rack,  balancing  a  pile  of  more  or  less  dilapidated 
sheet  music  on  one  of  his  knees  clad  in  the  objec- 
tionable light  trousers.  Ostensibly  Jim  was  hunt- 
ing for  a  song  for  Frances  ;  in  reality  his  hand  was 
turning  the  sheets  aimlessly,  his  merry  brown  eyes 
gazing  up  at  Margaret,  full  of  an  expression  which 
to-night  she  did  not  care  to  see.  Jim  was  hand- 
some, she  was  compelled  to  admit  to  herself,  but  — 
"  It  is  black  with  age,  and  all  frayed,"  she  contin- 
ued severely.  "  I  do  think  you  might  take  a  little 
more  interest  in  your  appearance." 

"  Why,  you  said  you  liked  this  red  tie  on  me  !  " 
exclaimed  Jim  in  surprise,  patting  his  Deofcgesr, 
:ind  lines  of  perplexity  furrowing  his  broad  white 
forehead  that  was  in  such  contrast  to  the  ruddy 
face  below  it. 


ONLY  JIM  IVORS  37 

"  Because  a  thing  is  becoming  is  no  reason  for 
putting  it  on  and  wearing  it  until  it  literally  falls 
to  pieces,"  remarked  Margaret  austerely.  "  Every 
time  I  've  seen  you,  for  weeks,  you  have  had  on 
that  tie.  Don't  you  know  that  'variety  is  the 
spice  of  life '  ?  " 

Jim  did  not  mention  that  the  red  tie  had  been 
donned  so  continuously  in  the  hope  of  finding  favor 
in  her  eyes,  should  they  meet  during  the  hours  of 
each  day  when  he  left  his  bare  little  studio  and 
haunted  Washington  Square,  where  lived  the 
Austins.  Instead  he  gave  the  limp  music  on  his 
knee  an  impatient  shove,  which  sent  it  sliding  to 
the  floor.  "  Oh,  bother  clothes ! "  he  observed 
brusquely.  "  Life  is  too  short  to  be  worrying  over 
such  trifles." 

"  Oh,  very  well ;  just  as  you  like,"  retorted  his 
companion  coolly. 

But  to  be  annoyed  with  Margaret,  to-night  es- 
pecially, was  not  easy  to  Jim.  "  Say,  Peggie,"  he 
whispered  presently,  persuasively,  to  induce  the 
fair,  averted  face  to  turn  again  on  him,  "  d'  you 
remember  that  quaint  little  table  you  fancied,  the 
last  evening  I  took  you  home  —  the  antique  we 
saw  in  Bowles's  window —  with  the  slender  twisted 
legs  and  a  flap  to  lift  up  ?  Well  "  —  there  was  a 
happy,  triumphant  note  in  Jim's  voice,  the  music 
still  lay  unheeded  on  the  floor,  and  his  hand  was 
on  the  arm  of  the  spindle  chair  —  "I  know  your 
weakness  for  tables  in  general,  that  table  in  par- 
ticular, and  —  I  've  bought  it." 

Margaret  turned  sharply  on  him.      "  Jim  !  — 


38  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

that  dear  little  table  ?  "  she  exclaimed,  with  spar- 
kling eyes. 

Jim  set  his  lips  together  in  a  funny,  prim  fash- 
ion that  he  had  when  very  much  pleased,  and 
nodded  at  her.  "  That  one,  and  no  other,"  he 
assured  her.  "  You  wanted  it,  so  I  invested  as  soon 
as  I  could.  Now  that  makes  —  let  me  see  " 
resting  an  elbow  on  the  chair,  to  balance  himself, 
he  began  counting  on  his  palm  —  "  this  table,  the 
little  cabinet  to  hang  against  the  wall,  the  three- 
cornered  chair,  the  old  sofa  (that  '11  have  to  be 
reupholstered),  two  cushions,  and  a  screen.  Ac- 
cumulating, is  n't  it  ?  And  I  don't  let  the  fel- 
lows sit  on  or  handle  those  things,  Peggie  —  you 
understand  ?  "  Jim  was  very  fond  of  that  expres- 
sion. "  Except  when  I  use  any  of  'em  in  a  picture 
they  're  in  a  corner  of  the  studio,  well  covered  up, 
waiting  for "  —  his  voice  dropped  to  the  merest 
whisper,  but  such  a  happy  whisper !  —  "  you  know 
what  for,  Peggie  !  " 

But  with  a  sudden,  impetuous  movement  Mar- 
garet was  gone  —  out  of  the  chair,  out  of  the  room 
—  leaving  Jim,  still  on  his  knees,  to  gaze  wonder- 
ingly  after  her,  and  then  begin  hurriedly  shuffling 
the  limp  music  into  a  disorderly  pile. 

"  Oh,  if  I  could  only  have  mother  to  myself 
for  ten  minutes,  even,  I  'd  tell  her  everything," 
thought  Margaret,  as  she  sped  through  the  rooms. 
Yet,  when  she  reached  the  dining-room,  it  was 
with  almost  a  sense  of  relief  that  she  found  uncle 
Gabriel  there  and  Ruth,  besides  her  mother.  Of 
course,  she  told  herself,  while  they  were  there  a 
confidential  talk  was  impossible. 


ONLY  JIM  IVORS  39 

"  Well,  daughter,  the  home  visit  is  slipping  fast 
away.  I  wish  I  could  make  it  twice  as  long.  I 
miss  my  first  baby,"  Mrs.  Jeffrey  said  affection- 
ately, smiling  up  into  Margaret's  flushed  face. 
"  Let  those  gay  people  in  the  sitting-room  do 
without  you  for  a  while  ;  sit  down  here  by  me,  and 
we  '11  have  a  quiet  little  talk."  She  motioned  to 
a  chair  by  her  side,  into  which  the  tall  daughter 
immediately  dropped.  "  You  say  the  Austins  are 
invariably  kind  and  considerate ;  are  you  sure 
you  're  happy  there,  my  dear  ? "  With  a  swift 
intuition  the  mother  eyes  searched  Margaret's 
countenance. 

"  Suppose  you  and  I  adjourn  to  the  giddy  crowd 
in  the  front  room,"  Mr.  Kincaid  proposed  to  Ruth, 
laying  down  the  newspaper  he  had  been  scanning. 
"  I  presume  that  piece  of  embroidery  could  be 
held  over  until  to-niorrow." 

There  was  a  simultaneous  outcry.  "  Oh,  you 
need  n't  go,  uncle  Gabe  !  "  and,  "  Why,  Margaret 
has  n't  anything  to  say  to  mother  that  the  rest  of 
us  can't  hear!"  exclaimed  the  two  girls  —  Margaret 
hastily,  almost  appealingly,  Ruth  in  a  soft  yet  in- 
jured drawl,  at  the  mere  suggestion  of  a  secret 
from  the  family.  Further  discussion  of  the  sub- 
ject was  prevented  by  the  appearance  of  Ursula 
and  Jim.  "  It 's  so  warm  in  there  that  we  thought 
we  'd  come  out  and  get  a  breath  of  fresh  air,"  ex- 
plained Ursula  for  the  benefit  of  all,  but  with  a 
pointed  look  of  reproof  at  her  elder  sister,  which 
that  young  woman  calmly  ignored. 

"  Anyway,  I  'd  rather  be  here  —  so   cosy  out 


40  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

here,  and  —  and  quiet,"  brilliantly  remarked  Jim, 
appropriating  the  empty  chair  beside  Margaret. 
"  You  're  a  nice  one  to  run  off  in  that  fashion ! " 
he  said  to  her  in  a  reproachful  undertone,  but  with 
imploring  eyes  which  Margaret  refused  to  see. 

Jim  was  a  prime  favorite  with  Mrs.  Jeffrey ; 
she  had  known  him  from  his  juvenile  days  of 
knickerbockers  and  tops  and  marbles,  and  her 
interest  in  his  artistic  success  was  great.  He  still 
retained  his  childish  name  of  "aunt  Jeffa"  for 
Mrs.  Jeffrey,  and  found  a  welcome  in  the  home 
whenever  he  chose  to  claim  it,  which  was  very 
often.  Now,  at  sight  of  her  favorite,  the  good 
lady's  thoughts  instantly  turned  to  hospitality. 

"  Ruth,  get  some  glasses  and  ice  water,  and  a 
bottle  of  my  orange  syrup,"  she  said.  "  Perhaps 
Jim  would  like  to  taste  it." 

"  Would  I  ?  Just  try  me !  "  declared  Jim,  in 
an  ecstatic  tone^that  signified  orange  syrup  was 
the  one  beverage  in  life  for  which  he  craved. 

But  he  was  not  to  enjoy  it  this  evening. 

While  Ruth  was  setting  the  glasses  on  the  table, 
and  uncle  Gabriel  was  valiantly  drawing  the  cork 
of  the  home-made  syrup,  the  party  received  a  sud- 
den reinforcement.  Frances  came  dashing  through 
the  short  entry,  and,  pausing  at  the  door,  regarded 
the  signs  of  festivity  with  an  indignation  that 
promptly  found  voice. 

"Well,  of  all  mean  people!"  she  exclaimed 
feelingly,  addressing  her  sisters.  "  To  steal  away 
one  after  another,  and  leave  poor  Judy  and  me  to 
do  all  the  entertaining!  And  here  you  are  en- 


ONLY  JIM  IVORS  41 

joying  yourselves  —  orange  syrup,  and  everything ! 
I  'm  going  to  stay  here  and  have  a  good  time,  too," 
taking  a  seat  by  the  table  as  she  spoke. 

"  You  '11  see  Judith  pretty  soon,"  Frances  went 
on,  with  a  warning  shake  of  the  head.  "  She  's 
talked  Art  and  Music  "  —  her  tone  signified  capi- 
tals —  "  to  that  man  "  —  she  suddenly  remembered 
he  was  Jim's  friend  —  "  that  —  er  —  Mr.  Ferris 
—  until  she  's  fairly  exhausted.  I  know  she  is. 
I  stayed  to  help  her,  and  stared  at  him  until  my 
eyes  felt  as  if  they  were  crossed,  and  I  really 
could  n't  swallow  any  more  yawns  ;  then  I  had  to 
come  out.  Mother"  —  Francie's  tone  grew  severe — 
"  I  do  think  the  girls  should  go  in.  Judy  '11  be 
perfectly  raving,  to  've  been  left  alone  so  long. 
Could  n't  we  have  the  orange  syrup  in  the  front 
room  ?  " 

"  No,  no  —  oh,  don't  let  us  go  in  !  It 's  so  much 
nicer  out  here ! "  cried  Margaret ;  which,  of  course, 
Jim  eagerly  seconded. 

"Yes,  Francie,  I  think  we  should,"  agreed 
Ursula,  rising ;  and  Mrs.  Jeffrey  gave  a  ready 
assent.  "  Certainly,  serve  it  in  the  drawing-room, 
if  you  all  prefer  that,"  she  said. 

Whrrrrrr!  went  the  electric  bell  that  was  con- 
nected with  the  street  door  of  the  house.  There 
was  an  unexpectedness  about  it  that  made  every- 
body start,  and  brought  the  stout  little  maid  from 
behind  the  screen  with  amazing  celerity. 

"  Goodness !  who  can  that  be  ?  "  questioned  Ruth. 
"  No  visitors,  surely,  at  this  hour  of  the  evening," 
glancing  at  the  clock  on  the  mantel. 


42  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

"  Who  can  it  be  ?  "  wondered  one  or  two  others, 
but  not  Margaret. 

With  a  sudden  vivid  rush  of  color  that  dyed 
forehead  and  ears  and  deepened  the  peach  bloom 
in  her  cheeks,  Margaret  rose  and  hastily  made  her 
way  out  of  the  room.  At  the  door  she  turned  and 
spoke  in  a  laughing  voice,  though  her  heart  was 
making  frightened  bounds  that  nearly  took  away 
her  breath  :  "  Well,  come  on,  then,  if  you  want  to. 
We  '11  all  go  in  the  sitting-room.  Come,  come !  " 

Jim  followed  her ;  so  did  Ursula  and  Frances. 

Ruth  set  the  tray  of  glasses  down  hard  on  the 
table,  and  resuming  her  seat  took  up  her  embroid- 
ery again,  her  delicate  red  lips  drooping  at  the 
corners.  "  I  do  think  that  sometimes  Margaret 
is  so  changeable ! "  she  complained,  while  Mrs. 
Jeffrey  and  Mr.  Kincaid  waited  for  the  second 
ring,  which  should  announce  the  visitor's  arrival 
at  the  front  door  of  the  apartment. 

No  one  but  Gretchen  had  heard  Margaret's  hur- 
ried instructions  as  the  maid  stood  pressing  the 
electric  button.  "  If  it 's  a  gentleman,  ask  him  to 
step  to  the  drawing-room  door,  and  I  '11  let  him  in." 

"  Gen'man  —  front  room,"  with  a  pointing 
finger  over  her  shoulder,  was  all  that  Gretchen's 
English  and  knowledge  could  furnish  in  answer  to 
her  mistress's  "  Who  ?  " 

But  they  were  not  long  left  in  ignorance,  for 
Frances  and  Judith  came  rushing  out,  eager  to 
tell.  "  Oh,  mother,  guess  who  's  in  there  !  "  cried 
Judy,  so  intent  upon  being  the  first  to  tell  the 
news  that  she  quite  forgot  her  usual  air  of  dignity. 


ONLY  JIM  IVORS  43 

"  Oh,  mother,  it 's  "  —  began  Frances. 

"  It  is  Mr.  Austin"  determinedly  finished  Ju- 
dith. 

Involuntarily  Mrs.  Jeffrey  had  risen  to  receive 
their  message ;  now  she  as  involuntarily  sat  down 
again.  "  Mr.  Austin !  "  she  repeated,  in  a  voice 
somewhat  weak  with  surprise. 

Miss  Weewee,  who  had  been  the  unwilling 
prisoner  and  companion  of  Gretchen,  having  made 
her  escape,  now  emerged  from  behind  the  screen 
and  leaped  upon  the  table.  Sitting  up  very 
straight,  with  her  tail  wrapped  closely  around  her 
four  little  white  paws,  she  fixed  her  green  eyes 
upon  Mrs.  Jeffrey  with  an  expression  of  the  most 
profound  and  yearning  interest.  The  object  of 
pussy's  attention  was  too  occupied  to  appreciate 
this  evidence  of  affectionate  regard,  but  Frances 
nudged  Judith.  "  Oh,  do  look  at  Weewee  !  "  she 
said,  with  a  giggle. 

"  Mr.  —  Austin,"  remarked  uncle  Gabriel  re- 
flectively, giving,  in  a  violent  effort  after  memory, 
his  black  silk  skullcap  a  shove  which  sent  it 
rakishly  over  one  ear.  "  Why,  Austins  are  the 
people  Margaret 's  with,  eh  ?  " 

"Yes,"  put  in  Frances  glibly,  determined  to 
have  some  say,  "  and  he  walked  in  as  naturally  as 
if  he  'd  been  coming  here  lots  of  times.  Not 
a  word  of  apology  for  calling  so  late ;  and  he 
has  upset  everything.  I  don't  mean  the  furni- 
ture," she  hastily  explained,  at  the  look  of  alarm 
on  her  uncle's  face,  "  but  the  enjoyment.  Marnie 
is  talking  to  him  very  pleasantly  —  of  course,  she 


44  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

knows  him  —  but  Ursula  acts  as  if  she  'd  swal- 
lowed a  ramrod,  she  is  so  stiff.  Mr.  Ferris  looks 
bored  —  nobody  's  taking  much  notice  of  him  now. 
And  as  for  Jim,  he  just  glowers  at  Mr.  Austin 
asif"- 

" Frances,  you  certainly  should  be  a  reporter; 
you  have  the  graphic  tongue  of  a  ready  writer," 
hastily  interrupted  Judith,  noting  her  mother's 
disturbed  face. 

Mrs.  Jeffrey  rose.  "  Come,  Gabriel,"  she  said, 
a  touch  of  more  than  ordinary  decision  in  her 
manner.  "  Come  in  with  me." 

"  Why,  certainly,  my  dear,"  cheerfully  acqui- 
esced uncle  Gabe. 

"  Come  on,  Ruth,"  whispered  Judith,  preparing 
to  fall  into  file  behind  the  small  procession. 

Ruth  shook  her  head.  "The  sitting-room  '11  be 
full  enough  without  an  extra  one  being  in  it,"  she 
said  practically.  "  And  I  'm  not  so  crazy  to  see 
Mr.  Austin.  I  'd  rather  stay  here  with  my  em- 
broidery and  Miss  Weewee." 

Frances's  description  of  the  state  of  affairs  had 
not  been  far  wrong,  as  Mrs.  Jeffrey  realized  when 
she  reached  the  drawing-room.  Carter  Ferris  did 
look  bored.  Ursula  had  assumed  a  coldness  of  de- 
meanor unusual  to  her  and  not  conducive  to  general 
hilarity.  Jim  stood  by  the  mantel,  not  far  from 
the  newcomer,  an  unmistakable  scowl  on  his  fore- 
head, his  mouth  set,  and  a  fierce  light  in  his  brown 
eyes.  Margaret  was  talking  rapidly,  with  a  de- 
sperate attempt  at  her  usual  ease  of  manner.  She 
welcomed  her  mother  eagerly. 


ONLY  JIM  IVORS  45 

"  Mother,  uncle  Gabriel,  this  is  Mr.  Austin," 
she  said  ;  and  the  tall,  delicate-looking  man  who 
stood  leaning  against  the  mantel  came  forward 
and  acknowledged  the  introduction  with  cordiality 
and  easy  grace. 

"  I  am  very  happy  to  be  allowed  to  make  your 
acquaintance,"  he  said,  and  there  was  genuine  sin- 
cerity in  his  voice. 

Roger  Austin  was  a  much  older  man  than  Jim 
Ivors.  Although  his  hair  was  still  thick  there 
was  a  well-defined  patch  of  gray  on  each  temple, 
and  some  gray  in  the  short  close-cropped  line  of 
whiskers  that  marked  the  sides  of  his  pale,  plain- 
shaven,  refined  face.  Mr.  Austin  looked  just  what 
he  was  —  a  kindly,  formal,  well-bred  man  of 
the  world.  His  dress  was  irreproachable  without 
being  foppish,  and  offered  a  strong  contrast  to 
Jim's  faded  red  necktie,  his  variegated  painting 
jacket,  and  light  summer  trousers,  though  Jim  was 
unquestionably  the  handsomer  of  the  two  men. 
But  with  Margaret,  comparing  them  this  evening, 
Jim's  good  looks  carried  very  little  weight. 

Mrs.  Jeffrey's  reception  of  Mr.  Austin,  though 
perfectly  polite,  was  marked  with  reserve,  and  in 
spite  of  the  well-meant  efforts  of  one  or  two  of  the 
party  conversation  languished  in  a  fashion  usually 
unknown  in  that  little  parlor.  And  the  troubled 
expression  in  the  mother's  eyes  deepened  when 
presently  Margaret  rose,  and,  with  a  questioning 
glance  at  Mr.  Austin,  murmured  hesitatingly,  "  I 
suppose  I  —  had  better  be  going  —  it's  getting 
late." 


46  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

"  Whenever  you  are  ready  I  am  at  your  ser- 
vice," he  courteously  assured  her. 

Mrs.  Jeffrey  hastened  after  her  daughter,  but 
Jim  was  ahead  of  her.  Leaving  the  room  in  the 
most  open  and  precipitous  manner  he  caught  up  to 
Margaret  in  a  few  seconds. 

"  Peggie,"  he  said  abruptly,  his  hand  closing 
tight  around  her  arm,  "  /  am  to  take  you  home." 

Margaret  resented  his  masterful  tone ;  her  face 
hardened.  "  Indeed  you  are  not !  "  she  declared, 
throwing  her  head  up  angrily.  "  Let  go  my  arm 
this  minute  !  " 

Jim's*  hand  dropped ;  his  eyes  and  voice  alike 
grew  wistful,  imploring.  "  Ah,  Peggie,  I  want  to 
talk  with  you.  I  've  a  splendid  piece  of  news  to 
tell  you,  something  you  'd  love  to  hear,"  he  urged. 
Then,  as  Margaret  began  walking  away  from  him, 
he  added  desperately,  "  I  've  sold  my  picture, '  Off 
the  Coast  of  Maine  '  -  —  sold  it  before  it 's  finished 
or  on  exhibition."  A  note  of  exultation  relieved 
Jim's  sombre  earnestness.  "Farley  brought  a 
California  big  gun  to  see  the  picture,  and  he 
bought  it  on  the  spot.  Paid  a  good  price  for  it, 
too.  Don't  you  want  to  hear  how  much  ?  It 's  a 
good  price,  you  understand  ?  I  want  to  tell  you 
all  about  it.  You  know  what  this  success  means 
to  you  and  me,  Peggie,  don't  you? " 

Margaret  wheeled  round  on  him,  but  she 
would  n't  meet  Jim's  unhappy  eyes,  nor  look  into 
his  face,  out  of  which  a  good  deal  of  the  ruddy 
color  had  faded.  "  I  'm  very  glad  to  hear  you  've 
sold  a  picture,"  she  said  coolly.  The  polite  indif- 


ONLY  JIM  IVORS  47 

ference  of  her  tone  sent  a  shiver  over  Jim  ;  sud- 
denly he  felt  as  if  he  were  the  merest  acquaintance 
to  her  instead  of  —  "I  hope  you  will  sell  many 
more,"  went  on  Margaret  frigidly.  "  Some  other 
time  when  I  am  at  home  I  '11  hear  the  particulars, 
but  not  to-night.  I  haven't  time."  Then  she 
whirled  herself  into  the  next  room,  where  Nemesis 
awaited  her  in  the  shape  of  Ursula. 

"Margaret  Jeffrey,  you  knew  that  man  was 
coming  —  you  invited  him  !  "  was  Ursula's  accusa- 
tion. "  You  have  slighted  Jim  the  whole  evening, 
and  now  to  finish  up  with  this  !  I  'm  astonished  at 
you  !  "  She  expected,  hoped  for,  a  contradiction ; 
the  more  indignant  it  might  be,  the  better  pleased 
would  she  be  to  receive  it. 

But  for  a  while  Margaret  maintained  silence 
and  an  appearance  of  indifference,  though  the 
hands  that  held  her  hat  pins  were  cold  and  trem- 
bling so  as  to  be  almost  useless,  and  the  face  be- 
neath the  hat  was  alternately  paling  and  flushing 
in  a  nervous,  very  unusual  fashion.  "  I  did  know 
Mr.  Austin  was  coming,"  she  said  presently,  de- 
liberately, her  eyes,  full  of  defiance,  meeting 
Ursula's  in  the  old  dressing-glass  before  which 
they  both  stood.  "  And  as  for  Jim  Ivors,  I  'm 
not  bound  to  devote  myself  to  his  entertainment 
every  time  I  come  home.  If  I  come  home,  he 's 
here.  If  I  'm  out  in  the  square  for  a  breath  of 
fresh  air,  there  he  is.  If  I  look  out  of  the  window 
the  last  thing  at  night,  nine  times  out  of  ten 
there 's  Jim  sitting  on  a  bench  smoking  like  a  fur- 
nace, or  else  tramping  up  and  down  the  park.  He 


48  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

actually  haunts  me !  "  Margaret's  tone  had  lost 
its  deliberation  now.  "And  I'm  just  sick  of  it  — 
sick  of  him  !  " 

"  Margaret !  what  a  way  to  speak  of  the  man 
you  're  going  to  marry !  "  exclaimed  Ursula,  her 
anger  lost  in  consternation.  Then,  involuntarily, 
"  And  that  you  should  be  so  disagreeable  this 
evening  of  all  others,  when  the  poor  fellow  has  the 
sale  of  his  picture  to  tell  you  of  ;  when  he  has  spent 
more  than  he  can  afford  to  on  that  antique  table 
you  were  wild  about,  just  to  please  you  "  — 

Margaret  turned  upon  her  sister  in  a  sudden 
fury.  "  I  never  said  I  'd  marry  Jim  Ivors,"  she 
declared  vehemently.  "  And  I  never  will !  If  he 
has  chosen  to  take  that  unwarranted  idea  into  his 
stupid  head,  am  I  to  be  held  responsible  for  it, 
and  harangued  and  scolded  if  I  'm  barely  civil  to 
another  —  to  other  men  ?  I  won't  stand  it ! 
You  're  all  acting  as  if  I  had  committed  a  crime  in 
letting  Mr.  Austin  call  here.  I  did  n't  invite  him 
at  all ;  he  asked  to  be  allowed  to  call."  There 
was  triumph  in  Margaret's  voice  now  as  well  as 
indignation.  "  He  said  he  wanted  to  meet  —  my 
relatives." 

"  My  dear,  does  Miss  Austin  know  of  her  bro- 
ther's visit  here  this  evening  ? "  asked  Mrs.  Jef- 
frey's quiet  voice.  She  had  entered  the  room 
unobserved  by  the  girls,  and  her  serious,  troubled 
eyes  touched  Margaret. 

"I  —  I  don't  know,  mother,"  she  hesitated  ;  then, 
honestly,  with  a  deep  blush  called  up  by  mingled 
shame  and  pride,  "Mo,  I  don't  think  she  does. 


ONLY  JIM  IVORS  49 

But  surely  Mr.  Austin  is  old  enough  to  make  a 
call  without  having  to  ask  his  sister's  permis- 
sion ! "  The  next  minute  Margaret's  arms  were 
around  Mrs.  Jeffrey's  neck,  her  face  buried  in 
that  lady's  shoulder.  "  Oh,  mother,  don't  look  at 
me  so  reproachfully !  "  she  cried  out.  "  It  surely 
is  n't  such  a  dreadful  thing  for  Mr.  Austin  to  call 
here  !  He  may  be  rich  and  important,  and  we  poor 
and  obliged  to  earn  our  living,  but  we  are  refined 
people.  I  am  just  as  well  born  as  he  is,  and  he 
knows  it.  If  he  wau^ts  to  come  to  see  us  and  be 
our  friend,  why  should  n't  he  ?  He  is  a  true  gen- 
tleman, mother ;  /  know  you  would  like  him." 
Then  Margaret  straightened  up.  "  And  as  for 
Jimlv— " 

"  That  is  just  why  I  do  object  to  visits  from 
Mr.  Austin,"  interrupted  Mrs.  Jeffrey  gently  but 
firmly,  and  with  a  movement  of  the  head  not  un- 
like that  of  her  daughter.  "  You  know,  Margaret, 
noblesse  oblige  ;  it  is  an  obligation  upon  one  who 
is  noble  to  act  nobly.  You  are  in  Washington 
Square  to  be  Miss  Austin's  companion ;  not  to  be 
receiving  attentions  from  her  brother,  unknown 
to  her.  If  Mr.  Austin  is  so  honorable  a  man,  then 
he  has  not  come  here  this  evening  in  the  expecta- 
tion of  escorting  you  home  without  some  encourage- 
ment from  you  to  do  so.  Child,  dear  daughter  " 
—  Mrs.  Jeffrey  grew  very  earnest  —  "I  should  be 
grieved  and  disappointed,  more  than  I  can  bear 
to  even  think  of,  if  you  allowed  any  attentions 
from  Mr.  Austin  save  of  the  most  everyday,  con- 
ventional nature  —  such  as  you  know  to  be  your 


50  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

due  from  him  as  his  sister's  companion.  Marnie, 
my  firstborn,  you  're  a  woman  now.  I  can't  insist 
on  your  behavior ;  I  can  only  tell  you  how  I  feel 
about  this  matter  —  only  advise,  and  leave  the  fol- 
lowing of  the  advice  to  your  own  heart.  I  love 
you,  dear,  I  admire  you,  and  I  trust  you ! " 

With  a  quick  passionate  gesture  Margaret  caught 
her  mother's  face  between  her  own  two  hands  and 
kissed  it  warmly.  "  Darling  mother,  don't  worry 
about  me !  I  shall  remember,  and  I  '11  do  my  best 
to  act  as  you  'd  like  me  to !  "  she  cried,  with  deep 
feeling.  All  softness  was  gone  from  her  voice, 
though,  when  she  turned  and  spoke  to  Ursula ;  in- 
stead there  was  a  sharpness  not  usual  to  Margaret 
with  her  favorite  sister.  u  But  you  need  n't,  from 
what  I  said  to  mother,  think  that  I  'm  going  to 
marry  Jim  Ivors,"  she  declared.  "  You  think  him 
a  paragon ;  I  don't.  Jim  has  some  good  quali- 
ties —  't  would  have  to  be  a  poor  wretch  indeed 
that  would  be  perfectly  destitute  of  them ;  but  he 
is  the  most  untidy,  slovenly,  stupid  "  —  she  seemed 
to  find  satisfaction  in  piling  up  her  adjectives  — 
"  clumsy,  uncouth  creature  I  've  ever  known  !  I 
would  n't,  I  could  n't  endure  having  him  around 
me  all  the  rest  of  my  life !  " 

"  You  can  say  this,  after  all  the  years  of  patient, 
faithful  love  he  has  given  you  !  "  exclaimed  Ursula 
incredulously. 

"  You  think  that  '11  work  on  my  feelings,  don't 
you?  But  it  doesn't  —  not  one  atom,"  returned 
Margaret,  and  forthwith  marched  off  to  the  draw- 
ing-room, where  stood  the  three  men  in  their  over- 


ONLY  JIM  IVORS  51 

coats,  all  ready  to  take  their  departure.  As  Mar- 
garet entered  the  room,  uncle  Gabriel  appeared 
through  another  door,  and  he  also  wore  his  over- 
coat, a  long-skirted  affair  that  hung  on  his  small, 
spare  figure  and  flapped  around  his  heels.  The 
black  skullcap  was  gone,  soon  to  be  replaced  by 
the  stiff  derby  hat  which  the  reverend  gentleman 
held  in  his  hand. 

"  Well,  my  dear,  ready?  "  he  asked  cheerfully. 

Margaret  started,  Jim's  brow  cleared  as  if  by 
magic,  and  Mr.  Austin  lifted  his  eyebrows  in 
polite  surprise. 

"/  expected  to  be  Miss  Jeffrey's  escort  to 
Washington  Square,"  he  said. 

"  Oh,  that  is  my  privilege,  which  I  am  not  at 
all  inclined  to  forego,"  was  Mr.  Kincaid's  jaunty 
answer.  "  Come  along,  Margaret.  We  '11  let  these 
good  gentlemen  get  well  ahead  of  us ;  then  you 
and  I  can  walk  slowly  and  have  our  usual  gossip 
together  by  the  way." 

But  a  little  later  that  same  evening,  before 
Ursula  had  finished  "  straightening  "  the  drawing- 
room  and  putting  out  the  lamps,  there  came  a 
hasty  scrabble  at  the  door. 

It  was  Jim  Ivors  back  again. 

"  No,  thank  you,  I  won't  come  in,"  he  remarked 
hurriedly,  in  reply  to  Ursula's  invitation ;  "  I  only 
came  back  for  a  few  words.  Say,  Ursa"  —  Jim's 
whisper  grew  most  persuasive  —  "  don't  you  let 
anybody  be  cross  with  Peggie  for  —  for  this  affair 
to-night  —  will  you  ?  Peggie  's  a  handsome  girl. 


52  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

She  can't  help  people  admiring  her,  can  she  ? 
You  see,  it  might  n't  have  been  through  any  doing 
of  hers  at  all  that  that  Austin  fellow  was  here  to- 
night. I  should  Ve  thought  of  this  before,  but 
I  'm  such  a  jealous  cur  where  she  's  concerned. 
Now  don't  let  anybody  blame  her  —  d'  you  under- 
stand?" 


CHAPTER  IV 

DEESS   REHEARSAL, 

"  URSULA,  it 's  come !  And  mother  promises 
we  shall  divide  them  this  evening  —  right  after 
tea,"  announced  Frances  in  an  excited  stage  whis- 
per over  the  banisters,  as  her  sister  came  lagging 
up  the  last  flight  of  steps. 

Ursula  leaned  against  the  wall  and  looked  up  at 
her.  " '  It '  ?  "  she  said  interrogatively.  "  And 
what  is  the  mysterious  '  them '  that  we  are  to  rend 
apart  after  tea  ?  " 

"  Oh,  you  are  so  dense  sometimes !  "  Frances 
threw  out  her  hand  impatiently.  "  I  did  n't  want 
everybody  in  the  house  to  hear,  but  as  you  can't 
guess  I  suppose  you  must  be  told."  Dropping  her 
voice  to  the  merest  whisper  she  added :  "  The 
Greenoughs  have  sent  a  bundle,  a  huge  one.  It 
came  by  express,  and  it 's  so  big  and  round  and 
fat  and  '  comfy '  looking  "  —  Frances  was  fond  of 
adjectives  —  "  that  we  feel  sure  there  are  lots  of 
pretty  things  inside  it.  Is  n't  that  jolly  ?  And 
was  n't  it  lovely  of  the  G.'s  ?  " 

"  Very,"  answered  Ursula,  but  with  such  lack 
of  enthusiasm  as  immediately  to  attract  the  younger 
sister's  attention. 

"  What 's  the  matter  ?  Something 's  gone  wrong 
at  the  office,"  asserted  Frances.  "  Tell  me." 


64  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

"  Oh,  only  that  my  story  for  this  week  has  been 
cut  and  cut  until  there's  hardly  anything  of  it 
left."  Ursula's  pretense  of  indifference  did  not 
at  all  deceive  the  "  youngest,"  as  Frances  was 
called  in  the  family,  and  was  soon  dropped.  "  It 's 
the  fourth  in  the  series,  you  know,"  continued 
Ursula,  "  and  I  think  the  best.  The  character 
drawing  is  stronger.  And  now,  to  make  the  story 
fit  into  a  certain  space  in  the  paper,  it  has  been 
so  cut  and  pared  that  it  reads  just  like  the  barest, 
baldest  statement  of  a  most  ordinary  happening. 
There  's  no  life  in  it.  Those  stories  come  from 
my  very  heart "  —  a  little  tremor  shook  her  voice ; 
"  there  is  n't  one  superfluous  word  in  them,  and 
yet  this  is  the  second  one  that  has  been  mutilated. 
Shows  how  much  the  office  people  appreciate  my 
best  work  !  Mr.  Rose  was  away  to-day,  or  I  should 
have  asked  him  to  use  his  influence  for  my  poor 
little  story.  It 's  so  discouraging !  I  feel  now  as 
if  I  would  n't  write  another  line.  Oh  well,"  re- 
turning to  indifference,  "  I  suppose  it  '11  be  like 
this  always ;  no  use  in  moaning  over  what  can't  be 
helped.  I  must  just  get  calloused  to  it !  "  Deter- 
mined that  the  tears  which  had  sprung  to  her  eyes 
should  not  be  suspected,  Ursula  finished  abruptly, 
and  made  a  dash  for  the  front  door. 

But  Frances's  long  arms  came  suddenly  in  the 
way,  and  held  and  hugged  her  vigorously.  "  You 
dear  old  tired  clever  thing!"  the  "youngest" 
declared ;  then  giving  by  love's  intuition  the  com- 
fort most  sustaining :  "  No,  it  won't  always  be 
like  this.  You  '11  be  famous  yet,  and  able  to  take 


DRESS  REHEARSAL  55 

all  the  space  you  please  —  see  if  you  're  not  — 
when  you  finish  your  novel  and  the  public  read  it. 
So  don't  you  mind  what  those  horrid,  narrow- 
minded  old  office  people  do.  Then  they  '11  be 
glad  enough  to  give  you  the  whole  paper,  if  you 
wanted  that  much  space.  Cheer  up,  Ursa ;  your 
turn  will  come.  I  predict  it.  You  are  going," 
with  most  emphatic  wag  after  wag  of  her  head, 
"  to  be  a  great  —  famous  —  writer.  Now !  And 
you  know  lots  of  things  that  I  predict  come 
true." 

"  And  lots  of  them  do  not.  You  're  a  goose !  " 
ungratefully  returned  Ursula ;  but  she  laughed, 
the  cloud  lifting  from  her  face,  and  that  satisfied 
Frances. 

"  Come  on  in  and  see  the  bundle,"  she  urged, 
leading  the  way  to  the  dining-room,  where,  in  one 
corner,  stood  a  package  of  truly  generous  propor- 
tions. It  was  covered  with  stout  paper  wrappings, 
and  to  the  Jeffreys,  who  had  an  intimate  know- 
ledge of  former  bundles,  suggested  all  manner  of 
pleasant  as  well  as  practical  surprises. 

"  That  is  a  bouncer ! "  agreed  Ursula,  eyeing 
the  big  brown  package  with  reviving  interest. 

"  We  're  to  open  it  just  as  soon  as  tea  is  over 
and  everything  in  order  again.  You  know  this  is 
Gretchen's  afternoon  out,"  remarked  Ruth,  as  she 
set  a  plate  of  crisp,  freshly  buttered  toast  on  the 
table.  The  toastmaker's  cheeks  and  dainty  little 
ears  were  a  deep  soft  pink ;  she  wore  a  white 
apron  tied  pinafore  fashion  around  her  neck,  and 
there  was  a  pleasant  excitement  shining  in  her 


56  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

quiet  gray  eyes.  It  was  in  her  slow  voice,  too,  as 
she  said  persuasively :  "  Get  off  your  things  at 
once,  won't  you,  Ursa?  And,  Frances,  go  tell 
uncle  Gabe  that  tea  is  ready.  Bring  him  along 
with  you,  or  he  '11  forget  all  about  eating,  and  go 
on  writing,  as  he  did  the  other  evening.  He's 
been  holding  a  reception  the  whole  afternoon  out 
in  the  hall  —  that  Jared  Watkius  and  a  small 
crowd  of  Italians." 

"  As  usual,  they  were  hungry.  They  've  eaten 
up  all  the  stale  bread  mother  was  saving  for  a 
bread-and-butter  pudding,"  put  in  Judith,  who, 
just  returned  from  an  all-day  tramp  among  her 
"  poor  people,"  lay  resting  at  full  length  on  the 
lounge.  "  They  'd  have  got  that  as  well,"  motion- 
ing to  the  plateful  of  toast,  "  had  n't  Ruth  grown 
desperate  and  hidden  it.  Uncle  Gabe  has  been 
entertaining,  cheering,  advising,  and  encouraging 
his  'constituents,'  as  Frances  calls  them,  all  the 
afternoon,  and  now,  probably,  he  '11  sit  up  half 
the  night  writing  editorials  for  their  two  papers. 
Uncle  Gabriel  is  of  the  salt  of  the  earth  —  we  ap- 
preciate that ;  but,"  rearing  her  head  uncomfortably 
to  glance  at  the  family,  "  what  would  become  of 
the  dear  blessed  man,  I  ask,  without  us  to  protect 
him  from  his  own  generosity  ?  " 

The  girls  laughed,  and  then  Ruth  urged :  "  Oh, 
do  hurry,  girls  !  The  sooner  we  're  through  with 
tea,  the  sooner  to  get  at  the  bundle." 

"  Why  such  haste  ?  Anticipation  is  sweet,  and 
our  high  hopes  may  be  dashed "  —  plaintively 
began  Judith. 


DRESS  REHEARSAL  57 

"  Why,  Judith,  you  know  there 's  always  some- 
thing good  in  the  bundles,"  interrupted  Ruth 
literally. 

"  Too  bad  Mamie  can't  be  here,"  remarked  Ur- 
sula; "she  was  for  the  last  lot." 

"  Now,  girls,  don't  keep  tea  waiting,"  came  in 
the  mother's  even  tones  as  she  entered  the  room, 
bringing  Judith  to  her  feet,  sending  Ursula  to  take 
off  her  coat  and  hat,  and  speeding  Frances  to  the 
small  hall  bedroom  next  the  drawing-room,  which 
her  uncle  occupied. 

Sliding  the  portiere  aside  she  looked  in.  "  Your 
rivirence,"  she  said,  dropping  a  curtsy,  "  I  am 
'  sweet  Anne  Page,'  and  '  my  mother  desires  your 
worship's  company  '  in  the  dining-room ;  or  in  the 
words  of  Bailey  junior,  'The  wittles  is  up;'  in 
plain  everyday  English,  tea  is  ready." 

Mr.  Kincaid  sat  at  a  little  table  directly  under 
the  gaslight,  and  so  absorbed  in  his  writing  that  he 
glanced  at  his  niece  with  blank,  uncomprehending 
eyes.  "  Yes,"  he  remarked,  pulling  absently  at 
his  beard.  "  Ah  —  true  —  we  have  not  had  tea. 
Well  —  eh,"  looking  down  at  his  work,  and  dip- 
ping his  pen  afresh  into  the  ink,  "I  don't  care 
for  any  tea  to-night,  my  dear.  I  must  get  these 
finished." 

But  Frances  pounced  upon  the  little  gentleman 
and  turned  his  face  up  to  the  light.  "  Uncle  Gabe, 
you  are  bad  !  "  she  asserted  solemnly,  with  sudden 
suspicion.  "  You  look  tired  to  death.  You  did  n't 
come  home  to  lunch,  and  I  '11  wager  you  have  n't 
tasted  one  mouthful  since  early  this  morning  !  " 


68  FORTUNE'S   BOATS 

Uncle  Gabriel  released  his  face  from  his  niece's 
hold,  sat  back  in  his  chair,  and  slipping  his  hands 
into  his  pockets  rattled  his  keys ;  a  twinkle  was  in 
his  eyes.  "  Now  that 's  where  you  make  a  mistake," 
he  said  jauntily.  "  I  not  only  lunched  myself,  but 
a  friend  as  well,  with  me.  Now  there,  my  lady !  " 

"  On  ten  cents !  "  cried  Frances  incredulously. 
"  That  was  all  you  had  in  your  pocket  this  morn- 
ing. You  told  me  so." 

"  On  ten  cents,"  repeated  Mr.  Kincaid,  wagging 
his  head,  bubbling  over  with  enjoyment  of  his 
niece's  mystification.  "  I  walked  down  town  and 
up  again  —  felt  like  doing  it  —  so  I  still  had  my  ten 
cents  when  I  met  Jared  Watkins.  Poor  fellow !  " 
uncle  Gabriel's  bright  face  clouded  for  a  moment 
—  "  he  is  certainly  very  unfortunate  —  very  unfor- 
tunate !  He  had  had  no  lunch,  neither  had  I ;  so 
we  went  off  together  and  refreshed  the  inner  man 
on  my  ten  cents.  'T  was  good,  too,  I  tell  you !  " 
with  a  reminiscent  smack  of  the  lips. 

"  What  did  you  get  ?  "  asked  Frances,  with  in- 
terest, forgetting  all  about  the  waiting  tea,  and 
lounging  comfortably  against  her  uncle's  door. 

"  Ha,  ha !  takes  me !  "  laughed  Mr.  Kincaid, 
threading  his  beard  with  great  satisfaction.  "There 
are  such  public  conveniences  as  lunch  wagons,"  he 
went  on  to  explain,  "  places  where  succulent  mor- 
sels may  be  obtained  at  a  very  moderate  price 
indeed.  The  *  Magnet '  -  —  good  name,  eh,  fetch- 
ing name  —  ha,  ha !  —  has  a  most  attractive  bill 
of  fare  hanging  outside,  from  which  one  may  make 
his  choice.  Things  to  make  your  mouth  water !  " 


DRESS   REHEARSAL  59 

—  another  reminiscent  smack.  "  A  darky  has 
charge  —  clean,  good  fellow,  always  most  respect- 
ful and  attentive.  My  dime  "  —  uncle  Gabriel 
sat  up  and  waved  a  lean  forefinger  at  Frances  — 
"  allowed  us  to  partake  —  sparingly,  't  is  true  —  of 
that  delicious  dish  beloved  by  the  discriminating 
Mr.  Silas  Wegg,  '  a  weal  an'  'animer.'  In  other 
words,  Jared  and  I  had  each  a  veal  and  ham  pie, 
at  five  cents  apiece.  Ha,  ha !  " 

"  Must  have  been  about  one  mouthful  for  each. 
As  long  as  you  were  doing  it,  why  did  n't  you  give 
the  big  creature  the  whole  ten  cents,  and  you  come 
home  to  lunch  ? "  queried  Judith,  who,  sent  in 
search  of  Frances,  had  come  up  in  time  to  hear 
the  story. 

Uncle  Gabriel's  face  fell.  "  I  never  thought 
of  that !  "  he  exclaimed,  looking  so  thoroughly 
ashamed  of  himself  that  the  girls  had  to  laugh. 
"  And  poor  Jared  said  he  had  n't  had  breakfast. 
What  was  I  thinking  of?  And  yet,"  rallying,  as 
a  sudden  recollection  occurred  to  him,  "  I  had 
mentioned  when  we  first  met  that  I  too  was  hun- 
gry, moved  by  that  common  impulse  which  stirs 
us  all  at  certain  hours  of  the  day.  He  knew  I  was 
hungry,  and  he  knew  that  I  had  only  ten  cents  — 
inadvertently  I  had  mentioned  both  facts;  so  to 
have  offered  him  two  pies,  and  taken  none  myself, 
would  have  been  to  have  made  Jared  most  un- 
comfortable, under  the  circumstances  —  see  ?  My 
dears,  the  poor  have  very  delicate  feelings,  veiy. 
One  has  always  to  consider  that  in  —  eh  —  offer- 
ing any  assistance.  If  I  'd  had  my  wits  about  me, 


60  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

I  need  n't  have  volunteered  the  information  that  I 
was  hungry,  or  the  low  state  of  my  finances.  As 
long  as  I  did,  however,  't  was  best  that  we  ate 
together.  Jared's  feelings  would  have  been  hurt 
else,  I  know  they  would." 

"  Well,  well !  if  you  are  n't  the  most  inconsid- 
erate people ! "  declared  Ruth,  appearing  on  the 
scene.  "  Frances  sent  for  uncle  Gabe,  Judith  for 
Frances,  and  now  mother  had  to  send  me  after  you 
all." 

"  To  be  sure !  "  cried  Frances,  making  a  plunge 
for  her  uncle's  arm,  and  turning  out  the  gas  at  the 
same  moment.  "  Come  on,  your  rivirence ;  be 
spry!" 

Uncle  Gabriel  fell  into  his  favorite's  mood,  and 
the  two  went  headlong,  helter-skelter,  through  the 
dimly  lighted  rooms,  arriving  in  the  dining-room 
ahead  of  Judith  and  Ruth,  and  demanding  loudly, 
in  a  most  injured  tone,  "  Why,  I  thought  you 
were  waiting  for  us  !  Where  are  the  others  ?  " 

Usually  tea  was  a  slow  meal  with  the  Jeffreys : 
adventures  and  incidents  of  the  day  were  related 
and  talked  over,  letters  were  read  aloud,  books  and 
newspapers  discussed,  and  often  plans  formulated 
for  the  morrow.  It  was  a  meal  beloved  of  the  family 
and  looked  forward  to.  But  to-night  there  was  not 
the  customary  lingering  around  the  table.  Instead 
was  a  briskness  and  celerity  about  every  one's 
movements  that  excited  Mr.  Kincaid's  curiosity, 
until  Ursula  showed  him  the  portly  brown  bundle 
in  the  corner  of  the  room. 

"Ah,"   he  remarked,  peering  at  it,  "that  ac- 


DRESS  REHEARSAL  61 

counts  for  everything.  Vanitas  vanitatum  —  well, 
I  suppose  young  people  must  frivol  a  little.  'Tis  n't 
likely  there  's  anything  for  me  in  the  bundle,  and 
those  editorials  are  waiting.  I  '11  go  write  them." 
And  forthwith  the  little  gentleman  trotted  off  to 
his  quiet  room  and  his  work. 

"  There,  now  all  is  finished,"  Ruth  said,  put- 
ting the  last  tumbler  on  the  sideboard,  and  giving 
the  table  cover  a  little  straightening  twitch.  "  Now, 
mother,  we  're  all  ready." 

"  Yes,  everybody  's  ready,"  chimed  in  Frances. 
"  Mother,  sit  in  this  low  chair,  and  we  '11  drag  the 
bundle  before  you." 

With  a  smile  Mrs.  Jeffrey  took  the  seat  ap- 
pointed her,  and  in  a  trice  the  big  package  was 
before  her  and  the  strings  cut.  A  long-drawn 
"  O-o-h !  "  broke  from  the  four  girls  as  the  stout 
wrappings  were  pulled  aside,  disclosing  a  pile  of 
neatly  folded,  many-colored  garments. 

Mrs.  Jeffrey  looked  across  the  heap  at  the  four 
eager  faces  opposite  her.  "  Years  ago,"  she  said, 
44 1  gave  your  cousin  Esther  a  dress.  'T  was  a  new 
yellow  silk  —  I  'd  never  worn  it  —  with  a  pattern 
of  little  flowers  all  over  it.  How  pretty  she  looked 
in  it,  too !  She  has  never  forgotten  that  gift,  and 
now  in  our  time  of  need  see  how  the  small  kind- 
ness comes  back  to  us  in  double  and  triple  mea- 
sure !  Esther  is  a  dear,  generous  creature  !  "  There 
was  a  suspicious  moisture  in  Mrs.  Jeffrey's  eyes. 

44  That 's  the  kind  of  memory  worth  cultivat- 
ing," quoth  Judith  absently,  eyeing  the  garments 
with  deep  interest  — "  short  where  injuries  are 


62  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

concerned,  but  like  an  elephant  for  kindnesses. 
Oh,  motheree  /  what  a  swell  gown !  Who  '11  get 
that,  I  wonder  ?  I  'ni  just  pining  for  a  tailor-made 
suit "  — 

"  Goodness !  I  hope  we  won't  all  want  the  same 
thing !  "  cried  Ruth  anxiously. 

"  We  can  do  as  we  've  done  before  —  let  mother 
decide,"  remarked  Ursula. 

"  They  're  marked  —  they  're  all  marked  — which 
is  for  whom,"  broke  out  Frances,  whose  sharp  eyes 
had  been  at  work.  "  And  there 's  a  gorgeous  bit 
over  there  with  my  name  on  it.  Jfur-rah  I " 
Catching  Ruth,  who  happened  to  be  nearest,  by 
the  waist,  the  "  youngest "  whirled  her  round  the 
big  table  and  back  before  any  resistance  could  be 
offered. 

"  You  are  entirely  too  rough !  "  exclaimed  Ruth, 
breathless  and  indignant ;  but  Frances  paid  no 
heed,  for  with  a  squeal  of  delight  she  had  seized 
upon  the  garment  Mrs.  Jeffrey  held  out.  "  Girls, 
girls,  it 's  a  tea -gown  !  —  with  a  train  !  "  she 
screamed,  dancing  about  with  delight,  the  new 
possession  clasped  in  her  arms.  "  I  must  put  it 
on  right  away.  I've  never  worn  a  train."  But 
in  the  very  act  of  flight  she  paused.  "  Think  I  '11 
wait,  and  see  first  what  everybody  else  gets,"  she 
announced,  to  deaf  ears,  for  the  girls  were  too 
deeply  interested  inspecting  the  garments  the  mo- 
ther was  handing  out  to  pay  any  attention  to  each 
other's  remarks. 

Exclamations  of  delight  filled  the  air.  "  This 
is  a  beautiful  bundle!  Silk  linings  galore !  Gaze ! " 


DRESS  REHEARSAL  63 

cried  Judith,  displaying  the  gay  lining  of  a  skirt ; 
she  had  carried  off  her  spoil  to  a  chair  in  a  corner 
of  the  room,  and  was  taking  all  a  proprietor's 
pride  in  her  new  clothes. 

"  Oh,  see  this  pink  silk  waist :  is  n't  it  sweet  ?  " 
demanded  Kuth  ecstatically,  holding  the  garment 
high  in  the  air  for  inspection.  "  Cousin  Esther 
remembered  my  weakness  for  pink ;  is  n't  that  nice 
of  her  ?  And  look  at  the  lace  on  it !  " 

"  Yes,  and  the  yellow  for  Marnie  —  her  favorite 
color,"  Ursula  was  saying.  "And  think  of  my 
getting  this  lovely  tailor-made  skirt  and  jacket  — 
just  what  I  wanted.  See  how  fine  the  cloth  is, 
and  the  whole  thing  so  stunning.  Do  you  mind 
my  having  it,  Judy  ?  " 

Judith  met  the  deprecating  eyes  without  a 
minute's  hesitation.  "  No,  I  'm  glad  you  got  it," 
she  said  stoutly,  "  though,  honestly,  I  might  have 
minded  had  we  divided  the  things  ourselves  — 
had  n't  they  been  marked  for  us,  I  mean.  But  I 
don't  care  one  bit,  Ursa,  truly.  I  've  fared  splen- 
didly !  And,"  eagerly,  "  I  've  settled  in  my  mind 
just  who  of  my  poor  people  are  to  have  this  — and 
this "  -  pointing  out  two  of  the  newly  acquired 
acquisitions  to  her  wardrobe,  "  when  I  've  finished 
with  them.  I  '11  wear  them  carefully." 

"Mother,  dear,  what  did  you  get?  Oh,  were 
you  forgotten  ? "  cried  Ursula,  with  sudden  com- 
punction. "  Take  my  suit.  It  could  easily  be 
altered  to  fit  you  " 

"  Would  cousin  Esther  forget  me  ? "  laughed 
Mrs.  Jeffrey ;  then  laying  her  hand  on  a  small 


64  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

heap  near  her  chair,  "  No,  my  dears,  I  am  very 
well  off  :  all  these  are  mine." 

"  I  'm  going  to  put  on  my  tea-gown,"  declared 
Frances.  "  Come,  Ursa,  help  me.  Oh,  I  've 
thought  of  something !  Excuse  me,  mother."  She 
ran  whispering  from  one  to  another  of  her  sisters, 
and  presently  the  whole  four  picked  up  their  new 
treasures  and  filed  out  of  the  room,  with  the  as- 
surance, "  We  '11  soon  be  back,  mother  —  very 
soon." 

The  running  to  and  fro,  the  laughter  and 
snatches  of  gay  talk  that  came  floating  out  to  the 
dining-room,  told  Mrs.  Jeffrey  that  some  fun  was 
afoot,  and  with  a  smile  she  awaited  it. 

She  had  not  very  long  to  wait.  Along  the  hall 
and  into  the  room  they  came,  with  bows  and  smiles 
and  mincing  steps  and  infectious  little  gusts  of 
giggles.  The  things  in  the  bundle  marked  "  odds 
and  ends  "  had  been  well  utilized. 

"  This  is  a  fancy-dress  party,  mum,"  Mrs.  Jef- 
frey was  informed  by  the  foremost  one,  who  was 
Ursula,  in  a  low-necked  waist,  with  a  mousseline-de- 
soie  scarf  half  covering  her  pretty  shoulders  and 
round  white  arms.  She  wore  a  feather  in  her  hair 
(taken  from  a  summer  hat)  and  long  gloves. 
Ruth  came  next,  wonderfully  fair  to  look  at, 
clothed  in  something  that  was  soft  and  shimmer- 
ing, pink  as  its  wearer's  exquisite  color,  and  giving 
her  such  an  air  of  statuesque  repose  as  made  the 
mother  suddenly  realize  that  one,  at  least,  of  her 
"twins"  was  very  much  "grown  up."  But  Judith 
and  Frances  were  the  most  picturesque  of  the 


DRESS  REHEARSAL  66 

group,  the  former  in  a  yellow  and  red  Dolly  Var- 
den  watteau  gown  which  had  been  long  in  the 
family  ;  it  was  looped  high  over  a  yellow  cretonne 
petticoat,  and  with  the  high-pointed  bodice  and 
elbow  sleeves  lent  an  old-time  effect  which  was 
very  becoming  to  Judith.  Finding  Frances  un- 
willing to  forego  the  wearing  of  the  tea-gown,  the 
girls  had  draped  it  round  the  slim  figure  as  nearly 
after  the  fashion  of  the  Dolly  Varden  costume  as 
could  be  obtained ;  of  course  leaving  the  train, 
which  just  then  was  its  owner's  proud  delight. 
Both  girls  wore  their  hair  powdered,  and  a  rose 
(another  contribution  from  the  summer  hat)  nes- 
tling above  the  left  ear.  With  her  whitened  locks 
piled  high  on  top  her  head  and  heightening  the 
brilliancy  of  her  eyes,  craning  her  slender  girlish 
throat  from  among  the  falls  of  lace  that  finished 
the  neck  of  the  pale  green  tea-gown,  and  flourish- 
ing her  long  arms  to  show  off  the  wide,  open,  lace- 
trimmed  sleeves,  Frances  looked  a  very  different 
creature  from  the  shabby  overgrown  young  person 
she  generally  represented. 

While  the  other  girls  carried  on  elegant  and 
animated  conversations  with  Mrs.  Jeffrey  and 
imaginary  and  admiring  cavaliers,  Frances  retired 
to  the  open  space  by  the  west  window  and  gave 
herself  up  to  the  practicing  of  the  most  profound 
and  elaborate  curtsies,  directed  to  no  one  in  par- 
ticular, and  varied  by  occasional  rushings  to  and 
fro  —  filled  with  admiration  of  the  long  train  that 
came  switching  and  twisting  after  her.  "  This 
is  beautiful!  I  do  think  those  Greenoughs  are 


66  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

dears  !  "  she  exclaimed  ecstatically,  returning  from 
one  of  these  sudden  excursions.  "  If  I  ever  get 
so  well  off  that  I  don't  have  to  wear  out  my  clothes 
myself,  I  '11  certainly  hunt  up  some  nice  refined 
poor  people  —  like  ourselves  —  and  get  them  to 
accept  my  things,  and  "  — 

"  Could  there  possibly  be  another  family  of 
young  females  quite  so  nice  as  ourselves  ?  "  queried 
Judith  slyly. 

"  Judy,  how  can  you  be  so  conceited !  "  ex- 
claimed Ruth,  and  was  astonished  and  not  over- 
pleased  at  the  shouts  of  laughter  that  arose. 

"  Come,  let 's  go  and  show  ourselves  to  uncle 
Gabe,"  hastily  proposed  Ursula.  "  He  is  proba- 
bly so  engrossed  with  those  editorials  as  to  have 
forgotten  our  very  existence.  We  '11  give  him  a 
surprise." 

And  in  this  they  succeeded,  for  no  one  could 
have  looked  more  astonished  than  did  Mr.  Kincaid 
as  the  four  pretty  creatures  marched  into  the 
room. 

"  Why,  why !  dear  me  !  what  is  all  this  ?  "  he 
exclaimed,  dropping  his  pen  and  sitting  back  in 
his  chair  to  look  at  them. 

"  We  're  not  your  busy-bee  nieces  at  all,  sir," 
Judith  informed  him,  with  a  very  grand  air.  "  We 
are  four  fairy  princesses  from  across  the  sea,  just 
stepped  in  to  dazzle  your  eyes.  We  can't  stay  but 
a  little  while,  for  of  course  there  are  four  fairy 
princes  in  full  pursuit  of  us.  And  should  they 
ever  catch  us  —  ugh !  "  —  here  was  a  gesture  of 
exaggerated  horror  —  "we'd  have  to  marry  them 


DRESS  REHEARSAL  67 

and  go  off  to  be  queens  of  fairyland.  Then  neither 
you  nor  other  mortal  would  ever  lay  eyes  on  us 
again  ! "  She  finished  in  a  tone  of  deep  commis- 
eration for  those  who  would  be  so  deprived. 

Uncle  Gabriel  stroked  his  beard  and  looked  at 
his  nieces,  a  couple  of  whom  bridled  and  tittered 
behind  their  hands ;  then  he  arose  and  made  them 
a  profound  bow.  "  I  've  always  felt  a  great  desire 
to  meet  some  fairies,"  he  said,  with  twinkling  eyes. 
"  But  I  'd  no  idea  they  were  such  substantial  crea- 
tures. How  did  your  royal  highnesses  come  —  by 
air  line,  or  in  some  '  dusky  barge  '  ?  Girls,"  drop- 
ping suddenly  into  enthusiasm,  "  you  're  all  so 
handsome  that  I  'm  filled  with  admiration  !  Ruth, 
you  're  a  model  for  a  duchess.  Judy,  you  're 
a  dream  of  beauty.  Ursula,  you  look  sweet 
enough  to  kiss  "  —  suiting  the  action  to  the  word. 
"  Frances  "  — 

"  Oh  dear !  there  's  that  front  door  bell !  "  in- 
terrupted the  "  youngest  "  impatiently.  "  It 's 
that  horrid  Gretchen  —  she  said  she  'd  be  in 
early.  Keep  my  compliment  until  I  get  back, 
uncle  Gabe,  and  don't  forget  to  say  something 
about  my  new  train.  I  '11  go  to  the  door,  mother," 
she  shouted  through  the  rooms ;  then  wheeling 
round  to  face  her  sisters,  a  giggle  on  her  lips, 
"  Girls,  I  '11  let  Gretchen  in  through  the  sitting- 
room  door,"  she  said  rapidly.  "  You  all  come  out 
here  first,  and  sit  round  like  company.  It  '11  be  a 
joke  to  see  her  round  eyes  open." 

While  the  sisters,  with  only  half-suppressed 
laughter,  were  hastily  taking  their  places  in  the 


68  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

little  drawing-room,  Frances  unlocked  the  front 
door  and  thrust  out  her  powdered  head,  waving 
a  bare  slim  arm,  from  which  the  open  sleeve  of 
the  green  tea-gown  had  fallen  away.  "You  may 
come  in  this  way,  Gretchen,"  she  called  authori- 
tatively. 

But  the  next  minute  she  fell  back,  with  a  little 
shriek,  and  three  young  men  filed  into  the  room. 

"  Hallo  !  what 's  up  —  a  masquerade  ?  "  asked 
one,  Jim  Ivors,  staring  with  all  his  eyes  at  the 
three  girls  who  had  taken  "  poses  "  for  Gretchen's 
benefit.  "  Where  's  your  mother  ?  I  've  brought 
you  a  new  cousin.  Here  he  is  —  Basil  Fabrey." 
Jim  motioned  to  the  young  fellow  who  stood 
beside  him. 

For  one  dreadful  moment  it  seemed  as  if  the 
girls  were  dumb.  Then  Judith  called,  with  a  note 
that  was  almost  anguish  in  her  voice,  "  Uncle  Ga- 
briel, please  come  here  at  once  !  "  And  springing 
up,  Ursula  held  out  her  hand  to  the  tall  round- 
shouldered  man  who  was  lingering  by  the  door, 
looking  shy  and  most  uncomfortable. 

"  Ah,  Mr.  Rose ! "  she  exclaimed  cordially, 
though  her  cheeks  were  scarlet  with  embarrass- 
ment. "  I  am  very  glad  to  see  you.  This  is  my 
uncle,  the  Reverend  Mr.  Kincaid.  These  are  my 
sisters.  Judith,  Ruth,  Frances,  this  is  Mr.  Rose, 
of  whose  kindness  to  me  you  have  often  heard. 
Frances,"  turning  to  that  young  person,  "  ask 
mother  " 

But  the  powdered  head  and  brilliant  eyes,  which 
li:i<l  been  thrown  into  bold  relief  by  the  heavy 


DRESS  REHEARSAL  69 

dark  portieres  among  whose  folds  their  owner  had 
tried  to  lose  herself,  had  suddenly  disappeared. 
Though  called  "  slow "  and  "  dense "  by  some 
members  of  his  family,  Jack  Rose  had  neverthe- 
less found  time,  during  Ursula's  hurried  introduc- 
tion, to  wonder  to  which  of  the  sisters  that  head 
might  belong.  And  now  his  gray  eyes  turned 
upon  his  hostess  with  so  unmistakable  a  question 
in  them  that  she  answered  it  before  he  spoke. 

"  That  was  Frances,"  she  said,  smiling ;  "  our 
'  youngest,'  and  a  most  merry,  impetuous,  and  er- 
ratic individual.  She  is  responsible  for  your  find- 
ing us  in  this  crazy  rig.  We  '  dressed  up,'  as  the 
children  say,  for  fun  —  and  have  been  caught ! 
Jim,  have  you  introduced  Mr.  Rose  to  our  new 
cousin  ?  " 


CHAPTER  V 
THE  NEW   COUSIN 

THROUGH  the  rooms  swept  Frances,  like  a  small 
tornado,  in  such  agitation  of  mind  as  to  have  en- 
tirely forgotten  the  long  train  of  her  tea-gown, 
but  lately  her  dearest  pride,  which  now  went  glid- 
ing and  switching  after  her  quite  unheeded. 

"  Mother  !  what  do  you  suppose  ?  'T  was  n't 
Gretchen  at  all !  "  she  cried,  bouncing  into  the 
dining-room  in  great  excitement.  "  Jim  's  in 
there,  and  Mr.  Rose,  and  —  a  new  cousin  1 " 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  What  are  you  talking 
about  ?  "  demanded  Mrs.  Jeffrey,  in  bewilderment. 

"  That  is  what  Jim  said,  that 's  all  I  know  —  *  a 
new  cousin,'  "  insisted  Frances.  "  And,"  turning 
up  her  saucy  little  nose,  "  he  is  n't  much  *  for 
pretty,'  either,  as  Jim  would  say.  I  only  got  one 
good  sight  of  him,  but  that  was  enough.  He 's 
got  a  lo-ong  face,  long  as  a  horse's  (it  looks  so, 
anyway),  a  month  to  make  a  gargoyle  envious, 
and  the  queerest  eyes  you  ever  saw.  They're 
enough  like  Miss  Weewee's  for  him  to  be  her 
cousin,  instead  of  ours.  And,  to  crown  all,  his 
name  is  Basil  Fabrey.  Such  a  name !  Miss 
Weewee  Jeffrey,  allow  me  to  present  to  you  — 
Mr.  Bazzle-Dazzle  Fabrey !  "  Laying  violent  hands 
upon  the  astonished  cat,  Frances  set  her  upon  her 


THE  NEW  COUSIN  71 

hind  legs,  and  forced  poor  pussy  to  make  a  low 
bow  to  the  absent  cousin. 

"  Fabrey !  Fabrey !  "  repeated  Mrs.  Jeffrey 
thoughtfully,  searching  her  memory.  "  Where 
does  he  come  in  ?  Oh,  I  know,"  brightening  up ; 
"Cousin  Maria  Norton  married  a  Fabrey,  and 
went  to  live  on  the  Pacific  coast.  He  didn't 
amount  to  much  in  a  business  way,  either.  This 
must  be  her  son.  Well,  well,  I  never  expected  to 
hear  of  Maria  again!  We  used  to  be  girls  to- 
gether. I  '11  go  right  in.  Come,  Francie." 

All  embarrassment  was  gone,  and  quite  a  buzz 
of  conversation  had  taken  its  place,  when  Mrs. 
Jeffrey  entered  the  little  drawing-room.  With  a 
merriment  she  had  been  far  from  feeling  at  the 
time,  Ursula  was  relating  her  difficulties  of  the 
day  to  Jack  Rose,  and  receiving  his  sympathy, 
while,  in  a  corner,  Jim  was  hearing  from  Ruth  of 
Margaret's  latest  visit  at  home,  and  telling  his 
own  tale  of  woe. 

"  She  has  n't  written  me  one  line  for  the  last 
three  weeks,  and  I  've  sent  her  letter  after  letter," 
he  said  mournfully.  "  And  I  've  laid  eyes  on  her 
but  twice,  though  I  've  been  in  Washington  Square 
—  well,  pretty  often  "  (poor  Jim !),  "  and  then 
she  didn't  notice  me.  It  seems  to  me  that  she 
could  n't  help  seeing  me ;  but  still,  of  course,  she 
might  n't  have  seen  me  —  she  could  n't  have. 
I  've  no  wish  to  force  myself  on  Margaret,  you 
understand,"  with  an  effort  after  his  pride,  "but 
she  belongs  to  me,  Ruth  ;  you  all  know  that.  And 
I  '11  never  give  her  up  unless  she  herself  asks  her 


72  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

/ 
freedom  from  me.    But  she  'D  not  do  that."     Jim's 

tone  grew  confident,  his  face  brighter.  "  Peggie 
is  true  to  the  core.  There  is  some  good  reason 
for  her  acting  in  this  way  —  I  'm  sure  of  it  —  and 
she  '11  explain  everything  by  and  by.  I  'm  not 
afraid  she  '11  ever  go  back  on  me ;  she 's  too  loyal 
for  that  sort  of  thing." 

"  Did  Marnie  ever  tell  you  in  so  many  words 
that  she  'd  marry  you  ?  "  asked  Ruth,  in  her  direct 
way. 

For  a  moment  Jim  looked  at  her  with  startled 
eyes.  "I  —  I  —  don't  remember  that  she  did  — 
in  so  many  words,"  he  replied  presently,  very 
slowly.  "  But  she  knows  —  has  known  for  years 
—  that  I  love  her,  that  I  !m  working  for  her; 
that  I  expect  her,  and  no  other  woman,  to  be  my 
wife.  She  's  helped  me  choose  the  things  for  our 
home  by  and  by ;  she  's  never  once  said  that  she 
would  n't  or  did  n't  wish  to  marry  me.  What 
am  I  saying?"  Jim  pulled  himself  up  short. 
"  'T  was  n't  ever  necessary  to  discuss  that  question 
between  us,"  he  said,  with  an  assumption  of  dig- 
nity so  unusual  as  to  rather  overawe  Rufie.  "  And 
I  won't  discuss  it  now.  I  trust  Margaret.  You 
understand,  Ruth?  I  trust  her  entirely." 

Meanwhile,  after  a  few  cordial  words  to  Jack 
Rose,  Mrs.  Jeffrey  was  making  acquaintance  with 
the  new  cousin,  whom  it  had  fallen  to  Mr.  Kin- 
caid's  and  Judith's  share  to  entertain.  Basil 
Fabrey  was  not  very  unlike  Francie's  description 
of  him.  His  jaw  was  much  too  long  for  beauty, 
and  his  mouth  decidedly  wide,  the  lips  set  firmly 


THE  NEW  COUSIN  73 

together.  Constant  outdoor  life  had  tanned  his 
naturally  fair  skin  almost  to  copper  color ;  his  hair, 
too,  was  very  dark,  if  not  black,  and  the  contrast 
to  these  presented  by  a  pair  of  very  light  blue 
eyes  was  a  striking  and  not  entirely  pleasing  one. 
Sharp  eyes  they  were,  too,  and  holding  between 
the  brows  a  little  scowl  that  came  and  went  and 
came  again  as  their  owner  talked.  Very  unlike 
handsome  Jim  Ivors  was  he,  or  Jack  Rose,  with 
his  intellectual,  noble  face  that  reflected  the  soul 
within ;  and  yet,  not  altogether  ill-looking  either 
was  this  young  man.  His  smile,  though  slow  to 
come,  was  very  pleasant  while  it  lasted,  lighting 
up  the  sombre  face  wonderfully,  and  flashing  into 
the  watchful  eyes.  Basil  was  about  twenty-three 
or  four,  tall,  well  developed,  with  a  well-knit 
figure  and  good  bearing,  and  dressed,  this  evening, 
in  a  rough  brown  business  suit.  The  smile  was 
having  its  own  way  now,  as  the  new  cousin  stood 
responding  to  Mrs.  Jeffrey's  hand-clasp,  and  an- 
swering her  words  of  welcome. 

"  I  would  know  you  were  Maria's  boy ! "  the 
good  lady  told  him.  "  You  have  her  smile.  Now 
sit  down  here  and  tell  me  of  your  mother;  I 
haven't  heard  a  word  from  or  of  her,  for  years. 
She  used  to  be  full  of  fun !  Is  she  so  still,  or  has 
she  grown  old  and  staid  like  myself?  And  has 
she  such  bonny  daughters  as  I  have  ?  " 

Then  Basil's  smile  flashed  out  again.  "You 
are  pretty  well  off,"  he  said,  sitting  down  beside 
her  and  letting  his  eyes  rove  about  the  room.  The 
scowl  had  quite  disappeared.  "I'm  all  the  son 


74  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

and  daughter  my  mother's  got,"  he  went  on. 
"  I  'm  her  only  child.  Should  n't  wonder  if  there  'd 
been  times,  though,  when  she  found  even  that  one 
a  pretty  big  handful !  "  He  seemed  to  regard  this 
as  a  joke.  "  Mother  has  n't  much  fun  about  her 
these  days,"  he  told  his  hostess.  "My  father's 
death,  about  four  years  ago,  was  a  great  blow  to 
her;  seems  as  if  she  can't  get  over  it.  In  one 
way  mother  's  had  a  hard  life.  The  old  man  " 
Basil  hastily  corrected  himself  —  "  my  father  was 
very  unfortunate.  For  years  he  was "  —  He 
paused,  as  if  hardly  knowing  how  to  go  on. 

"  Yes,  yes,  I  did  hear,"  broke  in  kind-hearted 
Mrs.  Jeffrey,  anxious  to  spare  him.  "  I  heard  of 
his  investing,  and  losing  every  dollar ;  just  after 
they  were  married,  too.  Yes,  I  heard  of  it.  Poor 
Maria !  Still,  there  are  harder  things  than  poverty 
in  this  world  to  endure.  And,"  smiling,  "your 
mother  is  fortunate  in  having  such  a  strong  young 
son  to  put  his  shoulder  to  the  wheel  for  her." 

The  "  strong  young  son,"  however,  did  not 
return  the  smile.  He  was  studying  his  hostess's 
placid  face  with  the  most  watchful  eyes,  that  ugly 
scowl  in  full  possession  of  his  forehead. 

"  Then  if  you  find  a  business  opening  in  New 
York,  you  may  stay  on  here,"  remarked  Judith, 
rather  in  the  tone  of  a  statement  than  that  of  a 
question.  She  had  returned  from  a  short  visit  to 
the  other  side  of  the  room  in  time  to  hear  the  last 
part  of  her  mother's  speech. 

"Possibly,"  returned  the  young  man  briefly. 
Then  to  uncle  Gabriel,  who  had  just  joined  the 


THE  NEW  COUSIN  75 

group,  he  added,  "  I  suppose  people  in  New  York 
think  an  awful  lot  of  money,  as  they  do  in  Cali- 
fornia —  as  they  do  the  whole  world  over.  They 
value  a  man  for  what  he  's  got  —  how  much  he 's 
worth  —  not  for  what  he  is." 

There  was  a  sharpness,  almost  bitterness,  in  his 
voice  which  affected  each  of  his  listeners  differently. 
"  Poor  boy !  he  has  had  his  share  of  snubbing !  " 
thought  the  mother,  and  remarked  with  genuine 
warmth  of  tone,  "  Well,  riches  or  poverty,  it 's  the 
same  to  us.  We  are  poor  ourselves,  and  we  value 
our  friends  for  themselves,  without  the  slightest 
regard  for  their  possessions  or  social  status." 

"  '  The  gold  is  but  the  guinea  stamp,  a  man  's  a 
man  for  a'  that,'  "  quoted  uncle  Gabriel  cheerily. 
"Still,"  he  went  on  slowly,  stroking  his  beard, 
"  money  —  wealth  —  should  never  be  despised. 
In  the  proper  hands  it  may  be  a  power  for  good." 

"  I  just  wish  /  had  a  lot  of  it,"  cried  Judith, 
laughing.  "  I  know  what  I  'd  do  with  it  —  fast 
enough.  I  would  "  — 

The  new  cousin's  scowl  was  actually  fierce,  his 
pale  eyes  scintillated.  "  You  're  just  like  the  rest 
of  'em,"  he  broke  in  rudely.  "  I  never  knew  a 
girl  yet  that  did  n't  love  money !  Well,  I  am  poor 
—  poor  —  poor!  And  those  that  don't  like  me 
may  leave  me  alone !  " 

His  vehemence  surprised  them  all ;  and  Judith's 
little  head  went  up.  "  Judging  by  myself,  I  should 
say  that  girls  preferred  manners  to  money,"  she 
retorted,  with  such  obvious  meaning  that  the  blood 
rushed  to  Basil's  bronzed  face,  turning  it  a  bright 
mahogany  color. 


76  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

"I  —  I  did  n't  mean  "  —  he  began  awkwardly. 

But  Judith  was  paying  no  attention  to  his  re- 
mark. "  Some  one  is  knocking !  "  she  exclaimed, 
and  hastily  opening  the  door,  disclosed  a  small  boy 
standing  in  the  hall. 

He  was  a  little  thin  fellow,  and  so  overcome  by 
the  sudden  prominence  into  which  he  was  brought 
that  his  tongue  almost  failed  him.  "  I  wan'  - 
Miss  Judit',"  he  stammered  out,  then  began  claw- 
ing his  ragged  cap  nervously,  and  balancing  him- 
self on  one  foot,  resting  the  other,  in  a  dilapidated 
shoe,  against  his  ankle,  while  his  gaze  fixed  itself, 
open-eyed,  on  the  girls  in  their  fantastic  dresses. 

"  Why,  it 's  Eddie  West !  "  cried  Judith.  "  I  'm 
Miss  Judith  —  don't  you  know  me  ?  This  is  only 
flour,"  motioning  to  her  whitened  locks  with  a 
smile.  "  Go  to  the  other  door,  Eddie,"  she  went 
on  kindly ;  "  I  '11  let  you  in  there  and  hear  your 
message." 

There  were  two  front  doors  to  the  Jeffreys' 
apartment :  one  from  the  public  hall  directly  into 
the  drawing-room,  where  the  boy  now  stood.  The 
other  was  the  regular  entrance,  where  was  the  bell, 
and  opened  into  what  was  termed  the  "  private 
hall,"  a  narrow  entry  of  which  mention  has  already 
been  made. 

Opening  this  door,  Judith  admitted  and  led  the 
way  for  Eddie  into  the  dining-room,  where  besides 
her  mother,  uncle  Gabriel,  and  Frances,  was,  to 
Judy's  annoyance,  the  new  cousin  as  well. 

"  Now,  Eddie,  what 's  the  message  ?  "  Judith 
asked. 


THE  NEW  COUSIN  77 

Then  the  burden  of  grief,  which  for  a  few  min- 
utes had  been  lifted,  settled  down  again  upon  nine- 
year-old  Eddie.  "  Me  mother  —  she  's  orfle  sick ! 
She  wan's  Miss  Judit'  right  off !  "  he  managed  to 
get  out,  then  crooking  his  ragged  elbow  against 
the  side  of  the  door,  broke  into  a  fit  of  crying. 
But  it  was  over  almost  as  soon  as  begun,  and  the 
little  chap  straightened  up,  wiping  his  eyes  and 
nose  on  a  dingy  rag  which  did  duty  for  a  hand- 
kerchief, and,  furtively,  on  his  coat  sleeve.  "  I 
dunno  what 's  de  matter,"  he  replied  to  Judith's 
query.  "  She 's  shakin'  like  she  was  col' ;  we  ain't 
got  no  fire.  An'  she 's  talkin'  orfle  funny  — 
callin'  all  de  time  fur  Miss  Judit'." 

"  I  '11  go  right  away,"  promised  Judith.  "  Mo- 
ther, have  we  any  blankets,  any  old  quilts,  that  I 
could  take  along  ?  " 

"  Only  one  thin  old  comfortable  —  I  'm  afraid 
that  is  all  I  have,"  Mrs.  Jeffrey  said  doubtfully. 
"  I  gave  away  my  last  old  blanket  the  other  day." 

"  Oh,  my  dear,  take  a  blanket  or  quilt  —  which- 
ever it  is  —  off  my  bed,"  urged  uncle  Gabriel ; 
his  skull-cap  was  half  off  his  head,  his  eyes  were 
shining  with  sympathy  through  his  glasses.  "  I  'm 
sure  I  don't  need  so  many  covers.  And  besides,  I 
could  put  my  overcoat  on  the  bed  if  I  were  cold. 
Eh  ?  Take  it !  " 

"  I  've  got  it !  I  've  thought  of  something !  " 
cried  Frances,  with  an  inspiration.  "  The  Colonel 
is  n't  in  use ;  he  '11  be  just  the  thing !  "  She  dis- 
appeared, and  was  back  again  in  a  minute  or  two, 
bringing  with  her  a  very  long  and  thick  circular 


78  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

cloak.  It  was  of  soft  material,  dark  gray  and 
black,  a  long  pointed  hood  hung  down  the  back, 
and  it  was  fastened  at  the  throat  by  a  large  clasp 
of  German  silver. 

"  We  named  him  after  that  funny  book,  '  The 
Colonel's  Opera  Cloak,'  he  was  so  very  like  Colo- 
nel St.  John's  wonderful  cloak,"  the  "youngest" 
explained  to  Basil,  who  sat  with  his  elbows  011  the 
table,  his  chin  in  his  palms,  saying  nothing,  but, 
as  Frances  afterwards  asserted,  "  looking  at  us  all 
as  if  we  were  some  curious,  strange  animals,  of  a 
species  hitherto  unknown  to  him."  "  It 's  been 
in  the  family  for  ages,"  continued  Francie,  grow- 
ing sentimental.  "  We  've  every  one  of  us  worn 
it,  at  some  time  or  other.  We  've  covered  with  it, 
we  've  taken  it  on  journeys.  Good-by,  dear  old 
Colonel ! "  She  hugged  the  cloak  to  her,  then 
threw  it  beside  the  basket  into  which  her  mother 
was  hastily  packing  food  and  such  other  things  as 
she  thought  might  be  useful.  Bottles  were  filled 
with  hot  water  and  well  wrapped  up,  and  Eddie 
was  supplied  with  a  package  containing  wood  and 
coal,  with  which  to  start  a  fire. 

"  Now  I  '11  get  on  my  things,"  announced 
Judith,  when  all  this  was  accomplished. 

"  You  are  never  going  yourself !  "  remonstrated 
the  new  cousin,  in  an  earnest  undertone,  coining 
quickly  to  her  side.  "  Send  the  things  by  the 
boy,  give  him  money,"  —  Basil's  hand  went  uncon- 
sciously toward  his  pocket,  —  "but  don't  you  go 
out  among  such  people  —  and  at  this  time  of  night. 
It  is  n't  safe  nor  right." 


THE   NEW  COUSIN  79 

A  mocking  smile  flitted  over  Judith's  lips ;  she 
lifted  her  eyebrows  disdainfully.  "  Don't  trouble 
yourself  about  my  safety,"  she  remarked  crisply. 
"  I  am  well  known  in  this  part  of  the  city,  and  as 
safe  under  little  Eddie's  protection  as  if  escorted 
by  a  phalanx  of  police.  Mother  is  going  with  me, 
she  always  does  at  night,  not  because  she  is  afraid 
to  trust  me  alone  among  my  poor  people,  but  be- 
cause she  is  so  capable  in  sickness."  Then  the 
young  lady  marched  away  with  a  grand  air  very 
suitable  to  her  Dolly  Varden  gown  and  powdered 
hair. 

But  the  dignity  was  still  well  in  evidence  when 
Judith  returned  in  her  simple  street  dress,  and 
with  the  powder  all  brushed  out.  "  Jim  insists  on 
going  with  us,  mother,"  she  said  to  Mrs.  Jeffrey, 
who  stood  ready.  "  He  insists  on  carrying  the 
basket.  He  '11  go  with  us  only  to  the  door." 

"  I  will  carry  the  basket,"  asserted  Basil,  with 
rather  a  lordly  air,  and  stretching  out  his  hand 
for  it. 

But  Judith  drew  it  out  of  his  reach.  "  You 
should  have  spoken  sooner,"  she  informed  him  in- 
differently. 

"  Why  did  n't  you  ask  me  ?  —  we  're  cousins," 
he  retorted. 

Again  Judith  arched  her  slender  eyebrows  at 
him  ;  the  color  flamed  into  her  pale  face.  "  The 
men  we  know  —  cousins  or  not  —  ask  permission 
to  do  things  for  us ;  they  don't  wait  for  us  to  ask 
them,"  she  remarked  proudly.  "  Here  's  the  bas- 
ket, Jim.  Come,  Eddie." 


80  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

"  Look  after  the  girls  until  I  get  back,  Gabriel," 
Mrs.  Jeffrey  said,  smiling  at  her  brother.  And 
then  the  rest  of  the  family  and  the  visitors  crowded 
out  into  the  hall  to  see  -thef  departure. 

As  the  little  party  disappeared  down  the  steps, 
Basil  strolled  back  into  the  dining-room,  and 
standing  on  the  threshold  of  the  door,  hands  in 
his  pockets,  closely  scrutinized  the  cosy  but  shabby 
room.  The  inexpensive  curtains,  the  patches  in 
the  rug,  the  faded  cover  of  the  broad  old-fashioned 
lounge,  the  worn  screen,  even  the  gaping  cracks  in 
the  flat-topped  desk,  which  was  sadly  in  want  of 
"  doing  up  "  —  nothing  escaped  his  gaze.  Slowly 
his  eyes  traveled  over  each  object,  and  with  a 
start  fell  upon  Miss  Weewee,  who  sat  in  her 
favorite  place,  in  the  middle  of  the  table,  regard- 
ing him  with  severe  intentness.  In  her  green  eyes 
appeared  what  was  known  in  the  family  as  her 
44  diabolical "  expression,  and  so  unpleasantly  did 
it  affect  the  new  cousin  that  he  snapped  his  fin- 
gers at  her  and  cried  "  Scat !  "  with  an  emphasis 
that  sent  pussy  flying  behind  the  screen,  from 
which  place  of  refuge  she  peered  out  at  him  with 
fascinated  interest. 

"  What  are  you  doing  ?  "  asked  Frances,  appear- 
ing at  Basil's  elbow. 

"  Making  acquaintance  with  your  cat,"  was  the 
somewhat  grim  reply.  As  they  walked  to  the  front 
room  Basil  added,  "  I  should  think  you  people  M 
prefer  a  dog  to  a  cat.  There  is  something  human 
about  a  dog.  Doesn't  Judith  like  dogs?" 

44  Oh,  yes,  we  all  like  them,"  replied  Frances. 


THE  NEW  COUSIN  81 

"  We  used  to  have  dogs  when  we  lived  in  the  coun- 
try, but  here  —  in  a  flat  "  — 

But  not  waiting  for  her  to  finish  the  sentence, 
Basil  began  asking  othar  questions.  It  was  not 
until  some  time  afterward  that  the  three  girls 
realized  how  closely  they  had  been  catechised  that 
evening,  and  how  little  the  new  cousin  had  told  of 
himself  in  return.  Jack  Rose,  however  (who  was 
lending  but  one  ear  to  a  long  discourse  of  uncle 
Gabriel's),  understood  the  process  of  "  pumping  " 
that  was  going  on,  and  he  was  moved  t>y  an  un- 
usual and  increasing  resentment. 

"  And  what  do  you  do  ?  "  questioned  Basil,  with 
an  air  of  affability,  settling  himself  more  com- 
fortably in  his  chair.  "  I  know  about  the  other 
girls  —  now  what 's  your  occupation  ?  " 

*'  I  have  none,"  replied  Frances  dolefully,  and 
looking  very  much  ashamed.  "  I  'm  supposed  to 
possess  a  voice,  and  it  is  being  cultivated  at  my 
sisters'  expense.  I  think  I  could  sing,  now  —  you 
know,  fill  a  position  in  a  church  or  somewhere,  if  I 
could  get  it.  But  Signer  Bacalli  insists  I  should 
wait  a  couple  of  years  longer.  I  'd  like  to  be  earn- 
ing some  money  as  well  as  the  other  girls,  but 
I  'in  the  greatest  dummy !  I  can't  do  a  thing  — 
unless,"  with  a  giggle,  and  casting  a  glance  around 
the  little  drawing-room,  —  "  unless  it  may  be  ar- 
ranging a  room,  or  setting  a  table.  Those  I  can 
do  very  well  —  oh  —  well,"  holding  up  her  pow- 
dered head,  "  pretty  well.  Can't  I,  Ruth  ?  " 

"  Indeed,  she  can,"  confirmed  Ruth  warmly. 
"  I  'm  sure  there  is  n't  anybody  in  this  city  that  has 


82  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

more  taste  in  fixing  a  house  than  Frances  has. 
We  often  say  that  she  'd  manage  to  make  the 
very  barest  room  look  cosy." 

"  Anyway,  Francie,  with  a  voice  like  yours,  you 
ought  to  be  content,"  supplemented  Ursula. 

But  Frances  made  a  gesture  of  self -depreciation  ; 
and  leaning  forward,  Jack  Rose  said,  in  the  solemn 
fashion  he  bad  sometimes  when  very  much  in  ear- 
nest, "  The  ability  to  make  a  home  attractive  is  no 
mean  gift,  Miss  Frances.  My  sister,  Mrs.  Erveng, 
considers  it  very  valuable.  Only  the  other  day  — 
and  at  other  times,  too  —  I  heard  her  wishing  for 
some  one  who,  as  she  expressed  it,"  —  Jack  smiled 
at  the  recollection  of  Betty's  characteristic  speech, 
—  "  would  come  in  and  change  her  furniture  about 
every  week,  and  dust  her  pretty  china  and  things 
without  reducing  them  to  atoms." 

"  Oh !  "  exclaimed  Frances,  with  a  delighted 
little  gasp,  sitting  up  very  straight  and  opening 
her  brown  eyes  at  Jack.  "  Perhaps  I  could  "  — 
She  paused. 

Jack  opened  his  eyes,  too.  "  That 's  so — perhaps 
you  could,"  he  said,  looking  very  much  pleased. 
"  I  '11  speak  to  my  sister.  I  think  you  '11  like  her," 
he  added.  "  She 's  so  bright  and  amusing  and 
thoroughly  nice !  "  A  few  minutes  after,  he  rose 
to  go.  "  You  were  very  kind  to  let  me  come,"  he 
told  Ursula,  in  what  his  sister  Betty  called  his 
"  old-fashioned  manner."  "  I  shall  be  glad  to 
come  again.  And,  sometime,  may  I  bring  my  two 
younger  brothers,  Paul  and  Alan  ?  We  used  to 
be  a  large  family  at  home,"  IK-  continued,  -"and 


THE  NEW  COUSIN  83 

a  jolly  lot.  But  one  after  the  other  has  married, 
until  now  there  are  only  a  few  of  us  left  at  home, 
and  at  times  it  is  dull  for  the  boys."  Ursula  could 
barely  keep  from  smiling  at  Jack's  fatherly  tone. 
"  I  should  be  glad  to  have  the  boys  know  you  and 
your  sisters.  Paul  is  a  clever  fellow ;  he  is  in  col- 
lege —  they  both  are.  Thank  you,  I  shall  bring 
them  very  soon.  Mr.  Kincaid,  you  will  see  me  at 
your  office  some  afternoon ; "  the  two  editors  had 
fraternized  at  once.  "  Good-night !  " 

But  before  Jack  reached  the  stairs,  Frances 
came  running  out  into  the  hall.  "  Good-night,  Mr. 
Rose,"  she  called.  "  You  won't  forget,  will  you  ?  " 

With  his  hand  on  the  banister  Jack  paused  and 
looked  at  her,  as  she  stood  in  the  full  glare  of  the 
gas.  The  light  shone  down  on  Francie's  whitened 
mop  of  hair,  showing  its  pretty  waves  and  the  tiny 
independent  locks  that  sprung  out  here  and  there. 
It  shone  on  the  bright  eyes  uplifted  to  him,  and 
on  the  mouth,  parted  in  a  half  smile,  the  upper 
lip  just  short  enough  to  show  a  glimpse  of  white 
teeth,  and  to  impart  a  frank,  very  winning  expres- 
sion to  its  owner's  face. 

"  Would  n't  Felix  love  to  sketch  her !  "  thought 
Jack,  with  a  sudden  appreciation  of  the  girl's  pic- 
turesqueness.  "  No,"  he  said,  smiling  back  at  her, 
"  I  shan't  forget.  I  '11  speak  to  Betty  about  it. 
Good-night !  " 

In  the  drawing-room,  by  and  by,  conversation 
lagged.  Uncle  Gabriel  thought  of  his  unfinished 
editorials  with  profound  regret,  and  then  surrep- 
titiously took  "  forty  winks  "  behind  his  glasses. 


84  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

After  an  ineffectual  struggle  to  keep  her  eyes  open 
K ut h  gave  up,  and  retiring  to  the  dining-room  had 
a  comfortable  nap  on  the  lounge  there,  while  Ur- 
sula and  Frances  "  racked  their  brains  "  to  keep 
the  ball  of  conversation  rolling.  The  new  cousin 
made  no  efforts  in  that  direction  ;  he  simply  sat 
on  until  Jim  Ivors  walked  in,  when  he  rose  with 
alacrity,  and  an  air  of  relief  not  at  all  flattering 
to  his  entertainers.  "  You  've  been  gone  a  good 
while,"  he  remarked  bluntly. 

"  Yes,  I  had  to  go  for  a  doctor,  the  poor  crea- 
ture was  pretty  bad,"  explained  Jim.  "  Your 
mother  wishes  you  not  to  wait  up  for  her  and 
Judith,"  he  said  to  the  girls.  "  They  '11  be  home 
as  soon  as  they  can  be  spared." 

Basil  twisted  his  shoulders  in  a  petulant  childish 
way,  and  gave  an  impatient  grunt.  "  Queer  kind 
of  work  for  a  girl  like  Judith !  "  he  declared. 
"  Seems  to  me  that  in  a  big  city  like  this  she 
might  've  found  something  else  to  do." 

The  sisters  looked  at  one  another  in  surprise, 
Jim  cried  sharply  "  Eh  ?  —  what 's  that  ?  "  and 
uncle  Gabriel's  sleepy  eyes  flew  open.  "  It  is  a 
noble  work,  sir  —  a  noble  work!"  he  said  impress- 
ively, drawing  up  his  little  figure,  and  looking  with 
disapproval  at  the  newcomer. 

Apparently  entirely  unaffected  by  this  —  with 
the  most  careless  indifference,  in  fact  —  Basil 
made  his  adieux,  and  the  young  men  went  away 
together.  But  once  in  the  street,  Jim  got  the 
benefit  of  the  new  cousin's  opinion,  delivered  in 
plain  ami  unvarnished  vernacular.  "They  're  the 


THE  NEW  COUSIN  85 

derndest  lot  of  softs  I  've  ever  come  across,"  he 
asserted.  "  Did  you  see  that  old  duck  flare  up  ? 
I  wonder  if  he  thinks  "  — 

Jim's  hand  fell  heavily  on  his  companion's 
shoulder.  "  Look  here,  young  man,"  he  said 
sternly,  "  just  you  say  one  more  word  derogatory 
to  those  people  and  I  '11  knock  you  down.  D'  you 
understand  ?  " 

For  a  moment  the  two  men  looked  into  each 
other's  eyes  in  silence,  then  Basil  threw  back  his 
head  and  laughed,  a  laugh  of  genuine  enjoyment. 
"  By  Jove  —  another  of  'em  ! "  he  remarked  face- 
tiously. Then  he  frowned  heavily  and  shook  Jim's 
hand  off.  "  I  've  got  a  scheme  in  my  head,"  he 
said  brusquely,  "  and  it  depends  entirely  upon  how 
you  fall  in  with  it  whether  I  ever  go  to  see  my 
new  relatives  again.  It 's  this."  Rapidly,  and 
with  insistence,  he  unfolded  his  plan,  and  Jim  lis- 
tened in  silence,  puffing  away  at  his  cigar. 

There  followed  a  short,  sometimes  sharp,  dis- 
cussion, in  which,  however,  Basil  won  his  point, 
for  it  ended  by  Jim  saying,  a  little  uneasily,  a 
little  moodily,  "  Well,  I  can't  see  any  sense  in  your 
idea  —  but  have  your  way.  Only  —  I  warn  you  ! 
I  '11  be  keeping  a  close  eye  on  all  you  do,  and  if 
you  don't  walk  a  chalk-line  —  just  look  out  for 
yourself,  that 's  all.  I  '11  out  with  everything  and 
spoil  your  little  game.  You  understand  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  '  understand,'  "  mimicked  the  other,  but 
laughingly.  "  And  in  the  mean  time  just  see  that 
you  keep  mum.  Good-night !  " 

"Good-night,"  answered  Jim  gruffly,  and  the 
two  went  their  separate  ways. 


CHAPTER  VI 
LILIES   OP  THE   FIELD  AND   OTHERS 

MORE  than  once  Margaret  had  told  the  family 
at  home,  "  I  don't  feel  my  duties  at  the  Austins' 
in  the  least  irksome ;  in  fact,  I  enjoy  them. 
You  know  I  love  to  read  aloud ;  and  Miss  Austin 
is  very  nice  and  kind.  Her  letters  and  notes  are 
usually  so  clever  and  amusing  that  it 's  the  most 
interesting  work  to  write  them  off."  She  had 
thrown  the  girls  into  spasms  of  laughter  with  her 
descriptions  of  the  daily  drive  —  of  the  ceremo- 
nious procession  of  little  frail  Miss  Austin  to  the 
carriage,  escorted  by  a  maid,  by  Margaret,  and  the 
pompous  English  butler,  Huggins,  who  bore  the 
extra  wraps  and  the  toy  terrier,  Carlo,  with  such 
condescending  affability ;  of  the  fat  coachman, 
who,  Margaret  said,  reminded  her  of  the  rat  that 
drove  Cinderella's  pumpkin  coach,  and  of  the 
rigidly  erect  footman  who  touched  his  hat  with 
obsequious  and  automatic  regularity,  and  then, 
when  his  mistress's  eye  was  not  on  him,  cast 
such  adoring  glances  at  her  beautiful  companion, 
—  glances  which,  it  is  needless  to  say,  that  young 
person  sternly  ignored.  The  autocratic  old  house- 
keeper, too,  who  had  held  undisputed  sway  for 
years,  who  called  the  little  mistress  of  the  house 


LILIES  OF  THE  FIELD  AND  OTHERS       87 

"  Miss  Marian,"  and  both  cuddled  and  tyrannized 
over  her,  she  also  was  known  to  the  Jeffreys 
through  Margaret's  saucy  tongue. 

"  You  would  think  she  owned  the  whole  place, 
and  the  family  as  well,"  Margaret  had  told  them 
laughingly.  "  And  she  is  the  most  jealous  old 
thing !  She  watches  and  hovers  around  the  room, 
and  listens  (yes,  she  does,  I  found  her  at  it  one 
day)  when  Miss  Austin  is  talking  to  me,  or  dic- 
tating letters.  I  suppose  she 's  afraid  *  Miss 
Marian '  will  like  me  too  well,  and  so  her  long 
nose  be  put  out  of  joint.  I  fancy  Miss  Austin  is 
a  little  afraid  of  Emmons,  —  that 's  the  house- 
keeper's name,  —  but  for  all  that  she  is  very  sweet 
and  nice  to  me.  Of  course,  I  'm  kept  pretty  busy, 
but  really  I  don't  think  I  could  have  a  pleasanter 
position  —  as  long  as  I  have  to  earn  my  own  liveli- 
hood." 

Margaret  had  said  this  in  all  sincerity,  and  the 
affectionate  regard  she  felt  for  Miss  Austin  had 
not  lessened  as  the  weeks  of  her  stay  in  Washing- 
ton Square  lengthened  into  months.  Owing  to 
the  little  lady's  delicate  health,  she  rarely  went 
out  of  an  evening,  and  when,  this  winter,  Mr. 
Austin  began  returning  early  from  his  club,  and 
finally  got  into  a  habit  of  spending  many  even- 
ings at  home,  his  sister  was  delighted.  All  her 
charm  of  conversation  was  exerted  for  the  enter- 
tainment of  this  only  and  dearly  loved  brother  — 
her  junior  by  several  years.  Also  in  this  cause 
Margaret's  musical  ability  was  called  into  requi- 
sition ;  and  it  was  with  pride  and  great  satisf ac- 


88  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

tion  that  Miss  Austin  told  an  intimate  friend, 
"  Roger  grows  more  and  more  fond  of  his  home 
every  day.  I  think  I  have  reason  to  feel  flattered 
when  he  gives  up  engagement  after  engagement, 
and  even  his  club,  to  spend  evenings  at  home  with 
his  little  old-maid  sister.  Don't  you?" 

And  Margaret,  too,  had  come  to  enjoy  those 
evenings  when  Mr.  Austin  stayed  at  home,  when 
Felix  Rose  and  his  bright,  gracious-mannered  wife 
"  dropped  "  in,  or  the  Maxwell  Derwents,  or  merry 
"  quicksilver,"  —  as  Miss  Austin  called  her,  — 
Betty  Erveng  and  her  quiet  husband.  Among 
these  kindly  well-bred  people  Margaret  was  well 
treated ;  and  in  spite  of  a  troublesome  recollec- 
tion or  two,  which  would  obtrude  itself  upon  her 
conscience  now  and  then,  she  had  been,  as  she  had 
stated  to  the  family,  very  happy  in  her  new  occu- 
pation. 

But  there  came  one  morning  when  Margaret 
awoke  from  sleep  with  a  peculiar  heaviness  of  the 
heart  —  a  feeling  of  apprehension,  almost  —  that 
surprised  herself.  "  Why  !  —  why  should  I  feel 
so  ? "  she  said  wonderingly,  looking  round  the 
room  for  an  explanation.  Then  her  eyes  fell 
upon  a  large  gray  envelope  standing  against  her 
pincushion  —  there  was  always  plenty  of  that 
heavy  gray  paper  in  the  drawer  of  the  library 
table  downstairs.  "  Ah  !  the  letter  !  I  'd  forgot- 
ten it,"  Margaret  whispered,  and  covering  her  face 
with  her  hands,  gave  herself  up  to  very  serious 
thought. 

When  presently  the  hands  were  removed,  and 


LILIES  OF  THE  FIELD   AND   OTHERS       89 

she  sprang  up  to  dress,  her  expression  was  calm 
and  resolute.  "  There 's  no  comparison  between 
the  two  —  no  comparison  whatever,"  she  declared 
emphatically,  and  began  humming  a  tune  by  way 
of  routing  the  last  vestige  of  that  disagreeable 
feeling.  But  it  chanced  to  be  a  rollicking  air  that 
Jim  Ivors  was  fond  of  whistling,  and  as  soon  as 
Margaret  recognized  this,  the  song  died  on  her 
lips,  and  the  rest  of  her  toilet  was  performed  in 
silence,  but  slowly,  lingering  over  every  detail. 

Busying  herself  in  one  way  and  another,  Mar- 
garet managed  to  be  much  upstairs  that  morning, 
until,  from  behind  the  curtains  of  her  window, 
she  saw  Mr.  Austin  go  across  the  park.  "  How 
distinguished  he  looks,  and  how  well  he  carries 
himself !  "  she  noticed,  with  a  sudden  proprietary 
pride  that  deepened  the  color  in  her  cheeks,  and 
rigidly  keeping  her  eyes  from  the  bench  whereon, 
last  night,  had  shone,  far  into  the  hours  (she 
had  jumped  out  of  bed  several  times  to  see  if  it 
was  still  there),  the  small  red  glow  of  a  cigar  — 
or  was  it  a  pipe  ?  "  Some  people  have  such  low 
tastes  !  "  thought  Margaret,  and  turning  from  the 
window,  went  to  Miss  Austin,  who  always  took  a 
late  breakfast  and  in  her  own  sitting-room. 

Having  locked  the  letter  in  the  gray  envelope 
safely  away,  Margaret  tried  to  put  its  contents 
entirely  out  of  her  mind,  and  give  herself  up  to 
her  duties.  But,  spite  of  all  efforts,  her  thoughts 
would  wander,  and  soon  the  absent,  dreamy  ex- 
pression of  the  hazel  eyes  attracted  Miss  Austin's 
attention. 


90  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

"  Now,  stop  for  a  few  minutes,"  the  little  lady 
said  abruptly,  interrupting  the  reading.  "  You 
sugared  my  cup  of  tea  twice  this  morning.  You 
gave  Huggins  the  wrong  message  —  I  heard  you. 
You  poured  out  coffee  instead  of  cream  for 
Carlo.  And  you  have  read  that  last  paragraph 
three  times  over,  without  in  the  least  being  aware 
of  it.  You  've  got  something  on  your  mind,  Mar- 
garet ;  that  is  very  evident  —  something  that,  per- 
haps, is  troubling  you.  Now  what  is  it  ?  Perhaps 
I  could  help.  Tell  me."  Miss  Austin's  keen  black 
eyes  softened  as  they  dwelt  on  the  drooping  face 
before  her.  She  put  out  a  hand  and  patted  Mar- 
garet's shoulder.  "  Tell  me,"  she  repeated,  with 
gentle  insistence.  "  Perhaps  it  is  a  difficulty  I 
could  smooth  out  for  you." 

But  the  girl  shrank  from  the  friendly  hand ; 
suddenly,  to  her  own  great  surprise,  tears  sprang 
into  her  eyes,  and  her  underlip  quivered.  "  Thank 
you  —  but  there  is  nothing  —  to  tell  —  now,"  she 
faltered. 

"  Perhaps  you  would  like  to  spend  the  day  with 
your  mother,"  suggested  Miss  Austin  kindly. 
"  You  have  n't  been  home  for  some  time.  I  '11 
drop  you  there  when  we  go  out  to  drive." 

Margaret  looked  more  startled  than  pleased. 
"  Oh,  you  're  very  kind,  but,  Miss  Austin,  I  don't 
want  —  I  'd  rather  not  go  home  to-day,"  she  said 
hurriedly.  "  I  have  that  piece  of  *  drawn '  work  to 
finish  —  and  the  notes  you  have  just  dictated,  to 
write.  If  —  if  instead  of  going  to  drive  —  I  — 
might  stay  in  —  and  work  "  — 


LILIES  OF  THE  FIELD  AND  OTHERS       91 

Margaret  had  always  admired  Miss  Austin ; 
she  had  said  at  home  that  that  lady's  "bright 
black  eyes  and  snow  white  hair,  turned  back  over 
a  cushion,  give  her  the  most  striking  appearance. 
She  looks  like  a  Marie  Antoinette  French  mar- 
quise, or  as  I  like  better  to  think,  a  dear,  kind, 
fairy  godmother."  But  to  the  girl's  disturbed 
fancy  it  seemed  this  morning  that  an  unusual 
sternness  had  replaced  the  "  kind,  fairy  godmo- 
ther "  expression.  A  recollection  of  that  letter 
locked  away  upstairs  came  back  to  Margaret  with 
a  little  shiver,  and  she  could  find  no  further  words. 

As  it  happened,  however,  Miss  Austin's  stern- 
ness was  more  than  half  in  her  companion's  im- 
agination. The  little  lady  had  an  abhorrence  of 
anything  approaching  to  a  "mystery,"  or  any 
appearance  of  fear  or  awe  in  regard  to  herself; 
she  also  liked  people  to  fall  in  with  her  plans  and 
find  them  good.  She  was  rather  provoked  with 
her  young  companion  this  morning,  but  not  in  the 
least  seriously  angry.  "  Oh,  certainly  you  may 
stay  at  home,  if  you  wish  to  do  so,"  she  returned 
brusquely.  "  I  shall  call  for  Gertrude  Stuyvesant 
to  drive  with  me.  Now,  continue  the  reading." 

The  routine  of  the  day  dragged  almost  inter- 
minably to  Margaret,  but  at  last  Miss  Austin 
started  for  her  drive,  the  notes  she  had  dictated 
were  written  and  dispatched,  and  the  young  com- 
panion was  free  to  take  her  sewing  to  her  room 
and  be  alone. 

Tossing  the  fancy  work  upon  the  bed,  Margaret 
took  out  her  interesting  letter  and  read  it  slowly 


92  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

and  carefully  —  as  she  had  read  it  again  and  again 
since  its  receipt  of  the  evening  before.  "  It  is 
such  a  nice  letter !  "  she  told  herself,  giving  the 
inanimate  sheets  lying  in  her  lap  a  pat  of  ap- 
proval. "  Such  a  quiet,  manly,  sensible  letter  — 
not  like  those  crazy  effusions  "  —  But  she  had  no 
intention  of  letting  her  thoughts  wander  in  that 
direction  just  then.  "  How  surprised  everybody 
will  be !  "  A  proud  smile  flashed  over  Margaret's 
face,  sending  up  the  corners  of  her  lips,  which 
had  been  drooping  all  the  morning.  She  let  her 
thoughts  take  their  own  course.  "  How  strange 
it  '11  seem  to  live  here,  as  my  own  home ;  to 
be  mistress  here.  Emmons  will  turn  green  with 
rage ;  but  she  need  n't  fear,  I  '11  never  interfere 
as  long  as  she  treats  me  properly,  as  she  '11  have 
to.  I  '11  have  the  girls  here  often  —  very  often. 
I  '11  introduce  them  into  society  —  and  marry 
them  off  well."  She  laughed.  ..."  Rufie  'd  be 
a  stunning  beauty,  if  she  were  dressed  up  as  the 
girls  are  that  come  here.  Ursa  and  Judith  are 
stylish  and  clever  —  and  by  and  by  Francie's  turn 
will  come.  Our  4  youngest '  is  n't  half  bad-look- 
ing. I  '11  look  out  for  them.  .  .  .  What  will 
Miss  Austin  say?  I  wish  she  knew.  I  wonder 
if  she  '11  be  angry  —  just  because  I  have  n't  money. 
I  'm  as  well  born  as  any  Austin  !  "  Nevertheless 
Margaret  shivered,  and  the  corners  of  her  mouth 
went  down  again.  "  And  mother  and  the  girls ! 
Oh,  they  '11  be  furious  with  me  —  for  taking  a 
man  that  any  girl  in  her  senses  would  almost  give 
her  eyes  to  get !  My  people  have  got  the  queerest, 


LILIES  OF  THE  FIELD  AND  OTHERS       93 

most  absurd,  old-fashioned  notions  about  some 
things !  But  they  'd  like  me  to  marry  that  — 
Jim —  and  go  live  —  exist  —  it  would  n't  be  living 
—  in  a  garret  with  him.  That  reminds  me,  it 
might  as  well  be  done  now  as  at  any  other  time." 

With  a  very  determined,  in  fact  austere  mien, 
Margaret  went  into  the  capacious  closet  of  her 
room,  unlocked  the  small  shabby  trunk  which  had 
brought  her  belongings  to  Washington  Square, 
and  came  out  again  carrying  a  bundle  of  letters 
tied  together  with  a  blue  ribbon.  They  were  of 
all  sizes  and  degrees  of  thickness  —  from  a  half 
page  torn  from  a  notebook  to  sheet  upon  sheet 
of  foolscap  —  and  all  written  in  the  same  rapid, 
sprawling  hand.  How  well  Margaret  knew  the 
contents  of  each  sprawl !  This  was  asking  Ursula 
and  herself  to  go  for  a  trolley  ride  and  a  walk  in 
the  fields  one  spring  afternoon.  The  beauty  of 
the  budding  trees,  the  Hudson  lying  broad  and 
blue  in  the  valley  below,  the  hilarious  spirits  of 
the  little  party  —  how  it  all  came  back  to  her! 
Another  was  a  gayly  decorated,  grandiloquently 
worded  invitation  for  mother,  uncle  Gabriel,  and 
the  five  girls  to  a  "ball,"  to  take  place  in  the 
writer's  studio.  Carter  Ferris  and  Ad  Lambert 
—  one  a  brother  artist  as  impecunious  as  the  host, 
the  other  a  struggling  newspaper  man  —  had  been 
the  only  other  guests  at  the  "  ball."  But  what 
fun  they  all  had  had  over  the  makeshifts  for  furni- 
ture and  crockery  —  sitting  on  boxes  and  on  bar- 
rels cut  in  two  and  covered  with  old  rugs  and 
draperies,  and  drinking  chocolate,  which  they 


94  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

themselves  had  made,  out  of  glasses,  tin  cups,  and 
even  a  shaving-mug.  Each  of  the  five  ladies  had 
been  presented  with  a  rich  red  rose.  Margaret's 
was  the  finest,  sweetest  of  them  all ;  it  lay  pressed 
in  the  "  ball "  invitation,  making  a  hard  little 
hump  in  the  envelope.  That  slip  of  twisted  paper 
had  come  with  a  bunch  of  flowers  on  one  of 
her  birthdays  —  'twas  just  like  the  person  who 
sent  it  to  have  no  cards.  This  fat  envelope  held 
pages  of  protestations,  glowing  hopes  —  "  Bah !  " 
cried  Margaret  angrily,  throwing  out  her  hands 
as  if  in  protest,  "  that  one  letter  over  there  on  my 
bureau  is  worth  all  these  —  the  whole  lot  of  them ! 
Those  demonstrative  people  tire  one  to  death  !  " 

Lifting  the  bundle  gingerly  by  one  of  its  loops 
of  ribbon,  she  laid  it  in  the  empty  grate,  drew 
a  match  sharply,  and  set  fire  to  the  letters,  after 
which  she  went  and  stared  out  of  the  window  with 
unseeing  eyes  until  the  crackling  and  little  roar 
in  the  grate  had  ceased.  "  Well ;  that 's  done !  " 
she  said,  with  a  sigh  of  relief,  and,  quite  composed 
in  manner,  looking  even  cheerful,  she  went  down- 
stairs to  meet  Miss  Austin,  who  had  just  returned 
from  her  drive. 

About  three  o'clock  of  the  same  day  Roger 
Austin  was  leisurely  crossing  one  of  the  small 
parks  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Jeffreys'  home 
when  a  girl  passed  him,  walking  at  a  rapid  pace. 
One  of  the  things  upon  which  Roger  prided  him- 
self was  that  of  never  forgetting  a  face,  and  as 
this  face  belonged  to  some  one  with  whom  just 


LILIES  OF  THE   FIELD  AND   OTHERS       95 

then  he  was  most  desirous  of  being  friendly,  he 
immediately  turned,  quickened  his  steps,  and  over- 
took the  young  lady. 

"  Miss  Jeffrey,  is  it  not  ?  "  he  asked  cordially. 
"  I  hope  you  have  n't  forgotten  me  —  Roger 
Austin." 

Very  reluctantly  Judith  paused.  "  Oh,  yes ; 
Mr.  Austin !  "  she  exclaimed.  She  looked  pale, 
there  were  tired  circles  under  her  eyes,  and  in  the 
eyes  themselves  was  an  anxious,  almost  frightened 
expression.  "  I  can't  stop  a  minute  even,"  she 
said  hurriedly,  moving  on  as  she  spoke.  "  We  're 
going  over  here  to  the  church,  to  have  this  baby 
baptized  —  it  is  very  ill." 

Then  Koger  noticed  that  a  girl  of  about  thir- 
teen walked  close  beside  Judith,  holding  in  her 
arms  the  smallest,  thinnest  infant  that  he  had  ever 
beheld.  The  girl,  too,  looked  pale  and  frightened, 
and  kept  glancing  nervously  at  the  little  face 
lying  so  ghastly  white  on  her  arm.  The  baby's 
eyes  were  closed,  the  small  nostrils  pinched;  al- 
ready some  of  the  dignity  and  peace  of  death 
rested  on  its  waxen  features. 

"  This  baby  belongs  to  a  family  of  nine  chil- 
dren —  they  all  and  the  parents  live  in  two  rooms," 
Judith  whispered  rapidly,  as  Mr.  Austin,  hardly 
realizing  what  he  was  doing,  walked  on  beside  her. 
"  The  father  is  a  mechanic  —  earns  good  wages, 
but  he  drinks  it  all  up.  The  mother  —  broken 
in  health,  discouraged  —  has  lost  all  self-respect, 
and  she  also  is  a  drunkard.  She  threw  a  fork  at 
her  four-year-old  boy  the  other  day,  in  a  fit  of 


96  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

drunken  frenzy.  Think  what  a  home  —  Heaven 
save  the  mark  !  —  that  must  be  for  the  children ! 
Poor  little  baby !  Life  in  that  household  means 
a  hard,  continuous  struggle  —  it  must  be  glad  to 
slip  away.  How  long  it 's  been  ailing,  I  don't 
know.  I  met  the  girl,  Netta,  just  now,  hurrying 
across  the  park,  on  her  way  to  the  church.  The 
mother,  too  intoxicated  to  come  herself,  was  ter- 
rified to  find  the  little  creature  dying,  and,  though 
she 's  never  shown  the  slightest  interest  in  religion, 
in  fact,  refuses  to  hear  anything  of  it,  now  she 
insists  on  the  baby's  being  baptized  at  once.  She 
told  Netta  to  run  every  step  of  the  way !  Ah, 
here  we  are !  " 

Judith  ended  with  a  note  of  relief  in  her  voice, 
as  they  reached  the  big  brown  church  which  stands 
for  so  much  comfort  and  help  —  both  spiritual 
and  material  —  to  those  who  come  within  its 
influence. 

As  Roger  lifted  his  hat  to  leave  her,  with  habit- 
ual politeness  rather  than  any  feeling  of  great 
interest  excited  by  what  he  had  just  been  told, 
he  asked,  "  Can  I  do  anything  for  you?" 

"  No,  thank  you,"  answered  Judith.  Then 
abruptly,  eagerly,  changing  her  mind,  "  Oh,  yes, 
you  can  —  you  can  come  in  and  be  the  baby's 
godfather.  There  '11  be  nobody  else.  Don't  be 
alarmed,"  she  added  hastily,  with  a  touch  of  bit- 
terness, as  she  saw  him  start  and  his  face  change, 
"  it  will  be  a  responsibility  only  of  moments  — 
the  little  thing  is  dying." 

"  Certainly   1  will  do  it,"   Kogur  said,  obeying 


LILIES   OF  THE  FIELD   AND   OTHERS       97 

a  rare  impulse,  and  following  her  into  the  dim, 
quiet  church,  where  a  young'  clergyman  joined 
them. 

Judith  held  the  dying  child,  and,  as  one  in  a 
dream,  Roger  Austin  stood  beside  her,  and  heard 
and  repeated  solemn,  unaccustomed  words  which 
he  had  not  thought  of  for  years. 

But  it  was  as  Judith  had  said  —  his  respon- 
sibility was  of  short  duration.  On  the  way  down 
the  aisle,  before  the  small  party  could  reach  the 
church  vestibule,  the  baby's  fluttering  breath 
ceased,  with  one  sharp  little  gasp,  and  the  tiny 
form  stiffened  in  death. 

Then  Roger  beat  an  undisguisedly  hasty  retreat 
to  the  church  steps,  leaving  Judith  sitting  in  a  pew 
with  the  small  still  body  laid  across  her  lap,  and 
trying  to  hush  the  noisy  grief  of  Netta,  whose  thin 
arms  had  been  the  little  brother's  only  cradle,  and 
whose  long  weak  back  even  then  ached  as  hard  as 
did  her  heart. 

After  a  while  Judith  came  out  alone,  looking 
white  and  spent.  "  One  of  the  deaconesses  has 
taken  the  baby  home,"  she  told  Roger  very  quietly. 
"  She  knows  what  to  do.  To-morrow  I  '11  go  to 
see  the  mother.  Thank  you  for  helping  us." 

"  Give  me  the  address,  I  'd  like  to  send  some 
flowers,"  Roger  said,  and  made  an  entry  in  his 
notebook. 

Then  Judith  held  out  her  hand,  with  "  Now  I 
must  say  good-by." 

"  If  you  will  allow  me,  we  '11  walk  together.  I 
am  on  my  way  to  call  upon  your  mother,"  Mr. 


98  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

Austin  remarked,  smiling,  glad  to  banish  the  tra- 
gedy just  over  in  the  pleasant  recollection  of  a  new 
happiness  that  was  his. 

"  To  see  mother !  "  repeated  Judith,  in  open-eyed 
surprise.  "  I  'm  sorry  I  can't  go  with  you,"  she 
added,  remembering  her  manners.  "  But  I  'in 
due  in  another  direction,  and,"  glancing  at  the 
clock  overhead,  "  pretty  soon,  too,  or  I  may  be  too 
late." 

"Must  you  go?"  he  asked  regretfully.  He 
would  have  liked  to  tell  her  his  errand,  to  secure 
her  sympathy,  but  she  appeared  to  be  in  a  hurry, 
and  it  was  against  his  nature  to  blurt  out  anything 
so  important. 

"  Yes,  I  must  go,"  declared  Judith.  "  Good-by !  " 
But  scarce  a  step  or  two  away,  under  the  influence 
of  a  strong  impulse,  she  turned  and  came  back  to 
Roger.  "  If  I  don't  go,"  she  said,  —  a  confidential 
note  in  her  voice  that  in  some  unwonted  fashion 
immediately  enlisted  his  interest,  —  "if  I  don't  go, 
one  of  my  boys  will  be  sent  to  prison.  All  the 
boys  in  this  neighborhood  know  me,  and  they 
know  I  like  them.  I  call  them  '  my  boys,'  and  I 
try,  as  far  as  lies  in  my  power,  to  help  them.  I  frrl 
so  sorry  for  the  poor  fellows  !  —  sleeping,  a  good 
many  of  them,  in  the  most  wretched,  foul  homes ; 
others,  in  areas  and  alley-ways;  out  of  school  hours 
living  on  the  streets  —  often  hungry  —  often  cold 
and  ragged.  And  with  never  a  corner  of  their 
own,  in  all  this  great  city,  where  they  could  have  a 
good  time  —  a  romp  or  game  —  and  forget  the  mis- 
ery of  their  hard  lives.  There  are  these  parks,"- 


LILIES  OF  THE  FIELD  AND  OTHERS       99 

Judith  made  a  comprehensive  sweep  of  her  hand 
that  included  both,  —  "  but  with  all  the  trees  and 
the  benches  and  fountains,  there  is  no  space  for  ball 
playing  —  and  the  boys  would  never  be  allowed  to 
tramp  over  the  grass.  It 's  all  too  prim  and 
proper ! " 

"  This  boy  I  'm  going  to  see  about  to-day," 
went  on  Judith,  "  this  Freddie  Metz,  is  a  pretty 
bad  lot  —  up  to  all  sorts  of  mischief  and  wicked- 
ness ;  active,  sly,  untruthful,  and  yet  —  no  worse 
than  one  should  expect  from  his  parents,  from  his 
wretched,  degrading  environments.  As  uncle  Ga- 
briel says,  '  Can  you  get  grapes  from  thistles  ? ' ' 
Judy's  voice  grew  husky;  she  stopped  speaking, 
biting  her  underlip  to  keep  it  from  trembling. 

"  It  is  hard  on  you  to  have  to  know  of  so  much 
unhappiness,"  Roger  remarked,  in  an  attempt  at 
sympathy. 

"  Not  half  so  hard  as  for  these  poor  people  to 
endure  it,"  cried  Judith.  "This  is  the  way  the 
accident  happened  :  Freddie  and  some  other  boys 
—  his  '  gang,'  he  calls  them  —  were  playing  ball  in 
the  street.  Freddie's  ball  broke  the  glass  window 
of  a  grocery  store.  To  add  to  his  iniquity,"  —  Ju- 
dith was  smiling  now,  —  "  the  young  sinner  put  his 
arm  through  the  hole,  before  it  was  discovered, 
and  stole  all  the  fruit  he  could  lay  hands  on,  which, 
with  fine  liberality,  he  divided  equally  between  his 
friends  and  himself.  Then  the  grocer  appeared, 
the  friends  fled,  Freddie  was  caught,  and  —  so  his 
little  brother  tells  me  (he  was  dispatched  to  im- 
plore my  aid)  —  has  been  sent  to  the  station- 


100  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

house.     Now  if  those  boys  had  had  a  playground, 

—  they  must  play,  you  know,  it 's  a  necessity  of 
life,  —  this  would  n't  have  happened,  neither  the 
accident  nor  the  theft.     See  ?  " 

Encouraged  by  the  interest  she  saw  in  Roger's 
eyes,  Judith  went  on,  hurriedly,  eagerly.  "  It 
could  be  done  —  it  could  be  done,"  she  cried. 
"  If  only  somebody  —  some  rich,  good  man  - 
would  buy  up  three  or  four  or  five  tenement  houses 
right  in  the  thickest  populated  part  of  the  East 
Side,  where  children  swarm  the  streets  to  get  a 
breath  of  fresh  air  and  play.  If  he  would  buy  the 
houses,  then  pull  them  down  and  turn  the  great 
open  space  into  a  playground  for  the  children. 
Ah,  if  he  would  !  Let  it  be  open  on  all  sides,"  Ju- 
dith made  a  quick,  wide  sweep  with  her  arms,  the 
mere  talking  of  her  beloved  scheme  sent  color  into 
the  pale  cheeks,  a  hopeful  ring  into  her  voice,  — 
"  no  fences,  no  gates  —  and  with  wide  open  spaces, 
where  marbles  and  tops,  football,  tennis,  —  any, 
every  game  could  be  played  —  kites  flown,  races 
run  —  everything  !  With  a  pump  here  and  there 

—  and  great  heaps  of  clean  earth  and  sand  stand- 
ing about  —  where  the  children  could  roll  in  it, 
build  forts,  caves,  make  mud  pies  —  enjoy  them- 
selves.    Some  trees,  too,  in  one  part  of  the  play- 
ground, and  grass,  on  which  the  youngsters  could 
sit  and  lie  and  tumble  somersaults  if  they  wanted 
to.     And  a  fountain,  and  some  flowers  —  that  they 
might  be  allowed  to  gather  and  take  home,  on 
certain  days.     There 's  nothing  wild  or  extravagant 
in  that,  is  there?     Isn't  it  all  reasonable  enough? 


LILIES   OF  THE   FIELD   AND   OTHERS     101 

Oh,  think  of  the  evil  ways,  the  mischief  such  a 
place  would  keep  those  poor  children  out  of ! 
Think  of  the  good  it  would  do  their  souls  as  well 
as  their  bodies  !  " 

"  The  carrying  out  of  such  a  scheme  would  re- 
quire a  great  deal  of  money,"  Roger  said  calmly, 
reflectively. 

The  light  and  color  faded  from  Judith's  face. 
"  Yes,  I  suppose  it  would,"  she  returned  wearily. 
"  And  for  that  reason,  I  suppose  it  will  never  be 
done.  But,  oh,"  with  a  tragic  gesture  and  most 
wistful  tone,  "  think  of  the  crying  need  there  is,  in 
this  great,  rich  New  York,  for  such  a  place !  You 
know,  the  benefit  would  be  not  only  to  the  children, 
but  to  the  city  —  the  nation.  For  these  boys  and 
girls  will  be  the  next  generation  "  —  Again  her 
voice  failed. 

Mr.  Austin  looked  uncomfortable.  "  Let  me,  I 
beg  of  you,  pay  for  the  damage  the  boy  did  to  the 
window,"  he  urged,  drawing  a  long  leather  wallet 
from  his  breast  pocket.  "  Perhaps,  then,  the  grocer 
might  be  induced  to  let  the  culprit  off." 

"  No,  no !  "  Judith's  hands  went  out  in  protest, 
"  that  would  never  do.  You  are  very  kind,  but 
that  would  n't  do  at  all.  I  think  perhaps  the  glass 
is  insured,  or  partly  so ;  it  is  generally,  I  am  told. 
In  that  case  the  grocer's  loss  would  not  be  very 
great.  Perhaps  he  is  sending  Freddie  to  the  sta- 
tion house  —  to  prison  —  to  frighten  him  and  teach 
him  a  lesson.  But  prison  —  any  measures  of  that 
sort  —  would,  I  am  afraid,  do  this  boy  no  good, 
just  now.  I  'm  in  hopes  I  shall  get  him  off  —  I 


102  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

am  going  to  beg  for  him  —  on  the  condition  of  his 
promising  solemnly  to  run  errands  for  the  grocer 
for  so  many  hours  every  afternoon  at  so  much  an 
hour  —  we  must  fix  on  a  price  —  until  Master 
Freddie  has  worked  out  the  expense  of  the  acci- 
dent. That  would  do  the  boy  more  good  than  any 
prison  or  reformatory  discipline.  Yes,  perhaps 
the  grocer  will  agree  to  it.  He  certainly  will  if  he 
has  been  an  East  Side  boy  himself;  he  will  ap- 
preciate poor  Freddie's  disadvantages.  Good-by ! " 
Roger  stood  and  watched  the  girl  hurry  across 
the  park  and  get  on  a  car,  then  his  thoughts 
reverted  once  more  to  his  own  affairs.  Since 
meeting  Judith  these  had  taken  a  secondary  posi- 
tion, and  now  he  found  it  required  a  little  effort  to 
readjust  his  mind  on  precisely  its  former  basis. 
One  of  the  speeches  he  had  intended  to  make  to 
Mrs.  Jeffrey  rather  eluded  his  memory,  and,  though 
having  no  doubts  whatever  of  the  final  outcome  of 
his  errand,  still  Roger  always  preferred  to  carry 
out  a  programme  as  planned.  "  I  '11  stroll  around 
the  parks  and  quietly  collect  my  thoughts,  before 
going  in,"  he  decided,  after  a  little  deliberation. 

"  You  are  asking  to  marry  Margaret,  —  my 
eldest  daughter !  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Jeffrey  blankly, 
much  disturbed  by  the  communication  that  had 
just  been  made  to  her. 

"  That  is  my  great  wish,  my  hope,"  returned 
Roger  Austin,  with  gentle  warmth.  "  I  need  not 
tell  you  that  her  happiness  will  be  my  greatest 
object  in  life."  It  seemed  perfectly  natural  to 


LILIES  OF  THE  FIELD  AND  OTHERS     103 

him,  under  the  circumstances,  that  Mrs.  Jeffrey 
should  be  surprised  —  even  agitated.  Though 
having  a  genuine  affection  for  Margaret,  Roger 
was  a  man  of  the  world ;  he  knew  his  own  social 
and  financial  value.  Stating  his  errand  had  been 
the  hardest  part.  Receiving  no  assistance  what- 
ever from  his  hostess,  and  his  programme  deserting 
him  when  most  needed,  he  had  been  betrayed  into 
an  explicit,  warm  statement  of  his  feelings,  which 
had  proved  somewhat  embarrassing  to  the  bachelor 
of  long  standing. 

Now  that  was  over  —  well  over,  too,  Roger 
thought,  and  sitting  back  in  the  spindle  chair  he 
patiently  awaited  Mrs.  Jeffrey's  reply,  which  he 
fancied  he  already  knew  ;  in  the  mean  time  accept- 
ing perforce,  it  must  be  confessed,  the  persistent 
attentions  of  Miss  Weewee.  Sneaking  into  the 
drawing-room  in  the  wake  of  her  mistress,  that 
discriminating  little  animal  had  immediately  de- 
cided to  be  very  friendly  with  the  visitor.  After 
delicately  sniffing  at  his  feet,  and  standing  upon 
her  hind  legs  to  lick  his  hand  resting  on  the  arm 
of  the  chair,  Weewee  proceeded  to  rub  the  whole 
length  of  her  sleek  dusty  black  body  slowly  and 
luxuriously  back  and  forth  against  Mr.  Austin's 
light  trousers,  as  she  did  so  emitting  loud  purrs 
of  satisfaction. 

Occupied  with  the  important  disclosure  that 
had  been  made  her,  Mrs.  Jeffrey  failed  to  notice 
Miss  Weewee's  behavior,  or  even  presence,  and 
after  several  surreptitious,  ineffectual  attempts  to 
dislodge  the  cat,  Roger  resigned  himself  to  her 


104  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

ministrations.  It  was  some  comfort  to  him  to  re- 
member that  it  was  not  likely  the  interview  would 
be  a  long  one.  As  it  happened,  it  was  consider- 
ably shorter  than  he  anticipated. 

Mrs.  Jeffrey's  next  remark  startled  her  visitor 
into  the  keenest  attention.  "  Mr.  Austin,  I  ap- 
preciate the  honor  you  have  done  Margaret  —  a 
good  man's  love  is  always  an  honor  to  a  woman," 
she  said,  and  now  her  voice  had  regained  its  usual 
calm  evenness ;  "  but  I  could  not  give  my  consent 
to  my  daughter's  marriage  with  you  until  I  have 
seen  her,  and  have  seen  and  talked  with  your  sister 
concerning  the  matter." 

"  My  sister !  "  exclaimed  Roger,  sitting  up  very 
straight  in  his  great  surprise.  Then  with  a  warm 
red  flushing  over  his  pale  face  —  he  was  nettled  — 
he  remarked  stiffly,  "  My  sister  would,  of  course, 
extend  a  welcome  to  any  woman  I  might  marry ; 
and  she  is  already  fond  of  Margaret.  But  I  do 
not  consider  her  permission  essential  to  a  decision 
in  this  matter.  Our  family  is  well  known  in  New 
York,"  —  he  rose  from  the  spindle  chair,  unex- 
pectedly and  ruthlessly  terminating  Miss  Wee- 
wee's  pleasant  pastime  ;  Mrs.  Jeffrey  also  rose,  — 
"  and  the  persons  to  whom  I  have  referred  you 
will,  I  know,  gladly  furnish  you  with  full  infor- 
mation as  to  my  character,  social  standing,  and 
financial  ability  to  support  a  wife.  My  actions  "  — 
Roger  was  waxing  more  and  more  indignant  — 
"  are  in  no  wise  governed  by  my  sister.  And  pos- 
sessing Margaret's  affection  as  I  do,  bringing  to 
you  her  note  of  explanation  this  afternoon  —  it 


LILIES  OF  THE  FIELD   AND   OTHERS     105 

seems  to  me  I  have  a  right  to  be  judged  by  you  on 
my  own  merits,  without  requiring  the  assistance 
of  my  sister." 

For  all  his  gentle,  courteous  manners  there  was 
no  prouder  man  in  all  New  York  than  Roger  Aus- 
tin, and  his  pride  had  just  received  a  shock.  He 
stiffened  visibly. 

Mrs.  Jeffrey  put  out  her  hand  with  an  impul- 
sive gesture.  "  Please  don't  be  annoyed,"  she 
said  quickly.  "  I  meant  no  discourtesy  to  you, 
no  offense.  I  appreciate,  as  only  a  mother  can, 
your  love  for  my  child,  and  you  may  be  sure  that 
her  wishes  in  this  matter  shall  have  great  weight 
with  me.  Please  let  me  finish,"  she  urged,  as 
Roger  uttered  an  exclamation.  "  Margaret  went 
to  Washington  Square  as  Miss  Austin's  compan- 
ion ;  she  still  holds  that  position,  and  this  —  en- 
gagement, as  you  speak  of  it  —  was  entered  into 
by  her  while  under  Miss  Austin's  roof.  I  should 
prefer  hearing  from  Miss  Austin  herself  her  feel- 
ings in  regard  to  it  before  I  give  you  my  decision. 
Mr.  Austin,"  —  the  proud  uplifting  of  Mrs.  Jeffrey's 
head  reminded  Roger  of  Margaret,  —  "I  could  not 
endure  having  my  daughter  enter  a  family  where, 
perhaps,  she  was  not  wanted.  And  I  must  hear 
that  Miss  Austin  quite  approves  of  what  has  hap- 
pened, and  of  its  happening  in  her  house.  I  must 
hear  it  from  her  own  lips.  Perhaps  she  would  be 
kind  enough  to  call  upon  me." 

It  is  doubtful  if  in  all  his  life  Roger  Austin 
had  been  so  surprised,  so  nonplussed,  as  now.  Be- 
tween his  own  astonishment  and  the  quiet  deter- 


106  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

mi  nut  ion  in  Mrs.  Jeffrey's  manner,  objections  died 
upon  the  suitor's  lips.  "  I  shall  acquaint  my  sis- 
ters with  your  request,"  he  found  himself  saying, 
and,  mechanically  making  his  way  out  of  the  little 
drawing-room,  he  reached  the  street  in  a  most 
perturbed  state  of  mind.  The  afternoon  had  cer- 
tainly been  unprecedented  in  his  experience. 


CHAPTER  VII 
ON  AND  OFF 

"  THEN  you  are  sure,  Marian,  that  you  don't 
object  to  going?"  Roger  said,  in  a  tone  of  relief. 
It  was  the  morning  after  his  interview  with  Mrs. 
Jeffrey,  and  the  brother  and  sister  had  been  hav- 
ing a  long  and  confidential  talk.  "  It  seemed  to 
me  —  well  —  rather  an  odd  proceeding.  But  you 
say  it  is  all  right,  and,  of  course,  women  under- 
stand these  things  better  than  men  do.  And  you 
have  nothing  but  kind  words  to  say  —  no  re- 
proaches for  my  marrying  after  so  many  years  of 
delay  —  and  not  a  girl  of  your  choosing.  This  is 
very  nice  of  you ;  Marian,  you  are  one  sister  in  a 
million ! "  Moved  by  unwonted  emotion,  Roger 
stooped  and  kissed  his  sister's  forehead. 

A  pretty  color  flushed  into  Miss  Austin's  faded 
cheek;  she  valued  highly  any  sign  of  affection 
from  her  undemonstrative  brother. 

"  My  dear  Roger,  I  should  try  to  be  *  nice  '  to 
any  woman  you  might  make  your  wife,  were  she 
even  a  Hottentot,"  the  little  lady  remarked,  smil- 
ing, though  there  was  a  blur  across  the  kindly 
shrewd  eyes.  "  Leave  the  matter  in  my  hands. 
I  think  you  '11  find  that  all  will  be  well."  Then 
as  he  turned  away,  "  Should  you  see  Margaret 


108  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

before  you  go  out,  ask  her  to  come  to  me  in  about 
half  an  hour.  I  want  to  offer  her  my  congratula- 
tions. Most  significant  she  should  consider  them, 
too,"  —  this  was  accompanied  by  a  merry  laugh,  — 
"  as  coming  from  the  person  who  knows  you  long- 
est and  best." 

But  with  the  closing  of  the  door  behind  her 
brother  the  smile  faded,  and  Miss  Austin  sat  gaz- 
ing sadly  into  the  fire  that  leaped  and  cracked  in 
the  grate.  She  was  a  woman  apt  to  take  strong 
likes  and  dislikes,  and  to  prove  loyal  to  them ; 
more  romantic  than  many  of  her  most  intimate 
friends  suspected ;  a  little  jealous,  yet  withal 
reasonable,  assisted  thereto  by  a  saving  sense  of 
humor.  These  characteristics  came  to  her  aid  in 
this  unexpected  emergency. 

"  We  've  lived  together  all  these  years  —  I  have 
been  sister,  friend,  confidant.  We  have  been  all 
in  all  to  each  other.  Now  it  will  be  so  different ! 
The  young  wife  will  be  first  —  the  old  sister  second 
or  third  — as  the  new  influence  wills  it,"  she 
mused ;  then  started  in  surprise  when  a  tear  fell 
splashing  on  her  hand.  "  This  will  never  do  — 
never ! "  she  ejaculated,  with  great  energy,  and 
sitting  up  very  straight  in  her  chair.  "  No  tears, 
Marian  Austin !  Just  use  your  common  sense. 
For  the  last  fifteen  years  and  more  you  've  been 
bothering  your  brother  to  get  married.  You  've  se- 
lected girl  after  girl  for  him,  and  fretted  because 
he  would  n't,  or  could  n't,  admire  them  as  you  did. 
You  have  grieved  to  see  the  gray  coming  in  his 
hair,  with  never  a  wife  or  child  of  his  own  around 


ON  AND  OFF  109 

him ;  you  know  you  have.  Remember  how  very 
much  worse  matters  might  have  been  :  he  might 
have  gone  off  and  married  a  most  ineligible  some- 
body —  men,  even  the  very  nicest  and  most  par- 
ticular of  them,  do  such  mad,  extraordinary  things 
sometimes.  I  know  Margaret  —  I  like  her —  we  're 
accustomed  to  each  other.  And  judged  by  herself, 
her  people  must  be  refined.  .  .  .  This  explains  the 
giving  up  of  club  engagements  to  spend  evenings  at 
home  —  with  me,  forsooth !  You  pride  yourself 
on  being  shrewd,  Marian,  but  you  've  been  blind 
as  a  mole  this  time.  Right  under  your  eyes  —  and 
you  did  n't  see  what  was  going  on  !  ...  So  it  seems 
that,  after  all,  Roger's  will  be  a  love  match  —  pure 
and  simple.  Well,  he  deserves  it,  poor  fellow ! 
after  waiting  all  these  years.  I  should  n't  grumble, 
I  've  had  him  to  myself  a  good  while ;  and  I  will 
do  my  share  to  make  the  future  easy  for  them 
both.  .  .  .  That 's  more  than  the  prospective  mother- 
in-law  is  doing.  Oh,  that  interview  must  have 
been  rich  !  I  could  scarcely  keep  a  straight  face 
while  the  dear  fellow  told  the  story.  He  would 
never  see  the  humor  of  it  —  proper  person  that  he 
is  !  That  Roger  Austin,  for  whom  the  '  smartest ' 
girls  of  New  York  city  have  set  their  caps  and 
smiled  their  sweetest  —  whom  their  papas  and  mam- 
mas would  have  welcomed  with  open  arms  as  a 
son-in-law,  —  that  he  should  be  put  on  probation, 
so  to  speak,  as  the  suitor  of  his  sister's  companion, 
until  I  vouch  for  him  !  It  is  too  funny !  "  Miss 
Austin  threw  herself  back  in  her  chair,  with  a 
little  hilarious  stamp  of  her  foot,  and  laughed  and 
laughed,  until  the  tears  came. 


110  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

The  muscles  round  her  mouth  were  still  quiv- 
ering when  Margaret  came  in  —  blushing,  shy, 
embarrassed.  But  the  reception  she  met  soon 
banished  all  misgivings,  and  set  her  at  ease. 

"  So  Roger  tells  me  that  you  and  I  are  to  be 
sisters ;  that  you  have  promised  to  be  his  wife," 
Miss  Austin  said  gayly.  Holding  out  a  hand,  she 
drew  tall,  stately  Margaret  down  to  her  level  and 
kissed  her.  "  Well,  my  dear,  though  I  am  his 
sister,  I  must  congratulate  you  on  having  won  the 
affection  of  the  very  best  man  in  New  York  city 
—  as  he  has  won  one  of  the  prettiest  girls  in  it. 
May  great  happiness  be  with  you  both  !  But  I  wish 
you  had  told  me  of  this  yourself,  Margaret.  Is 
this  the  reason  you  've  been  so  preoccupied  ?  How 
long  has  it  been  going  on  ?  " 

The  question  was  asked  laughingly  ;  but  a  deep, 
hot  blush  burned  the  young  girl's  face,  the  lids  fell 
over  her  brilliant  eyes.  "I  —  I  —  only  knew  — 
less  than  two  days  ago,"  she  stammered.  "  I  did 
want  you  to  know  —  but  —  it  was  so  hard  to  tell." 

With  a  sudden  impulse  Miss  Austin  leaned 
forward  and  laid  her  hand  on  Margaret's  knee. 
"My  dear,  Roger  Austin  is  many  years  older  than 
you  are  ;  you  are  quite  sure  that  you  love  him  ?  " 
she  asked  very  earnestly.  With  a  fleeting  surprise 
she  noticed  the  startled  expression  that  sprang  into 
her  young  companion's  eyes,  but  it  was  gone,  like 
a  flash,  and  the  vivid  rush  of  color,  the  haughty 
uplifting  of  the  head,  and  the  short  almost  curt 
reply  reassured  her  sisterly  imxiety. 

"  Unless  I  loved  him,  I  should  not  be  going  to 


ON  AND  OFF  111 

marry  him,"  Margaret  answered  proudly,  meeting 
Miss  Austin's  searching  gaze  with  eyes  that  never 
wavered ;  and  the  little  lady  liked  her  none  the 
less  for  resenting  the  question,  for  Margaret  was 
one  of  her  favorites. 

"  Many  times  I  have  wondered  what  sort  of  a 
wife  Roger  would  have  —  after  waiting  so  long  for 
her.  Perhaps  I  have  dreaded  her  advent  a  little  ; 
and  now  that  the  young  lady  has  appeared,  I  am 
glad  I  can  truly  say  that  I  am  well  pleased,"  she 
observed. 

There  was  a  tenderness  in  her  voice  that  touched 
Margaret,  completely  routing  her  anger.  Slipping 
to  her  knees,  she  laid  her  glowing  cheek  against 
the  thin  hand  lying  on  Miss  Austin's  lap.  "  I  love 
you  for  saying  that ! "  she  murmured  caressingly. 
"  I  was  afraid  you  might  not  like  —  you  know  I  'm 
a  poor  girl  —  and  —  and  —  besides,  he 's  been  all 
yours  for  so  long." 

Roger's  sister  took  the  face  of  Roger's  fiancee 
between  her  two  hands  and  kissed  the  tremulous 
lips  warmly.  "  My  dear,  I  am  well  satisfied,"  she 
repeated.  "  Be  a  good  wife  to  my  brother,  and  I 
shall  love  you  better  and  better.  Now  come  take 
this  chair  beside  me,  and  we  '11  talk  about  him." 

But  it  was  only  when  they  were  out  driving  and 
actually  turning  into  the  street  where  the  Jeffreys 
lived  that  Miss  Austin  told  Margaret  of  her  in- 
tended call  upon  her  mother.  "  Now,"  she  con- 
cluded, as  the  horses  drew  up  before  the  apartment 
house,  "  I  am  going  to  ask  you  to  sit  in  the  carriage 
while  your  mother  and  I  have  our  little  confab. 


112  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

And  then,"  with  a  kindly  smile  and  decisive  nod 
of  the  head,  —  "  then  I  '11  lend  you  to  the  family 
for  the  rest  of  the  day  and  for  the  night.  I  fancy 
you  '11  have  plenty  to  say  to  them.  Eh  ?  " 

"  You  are  always  so  thoughtful ! "  Margaret 
said  gratefully ;  but  before  the  house  door  closed 
behind  Miss  Austin's  figure,  Margaret's  face  had 
grown  very  sober.  To  tell  the  truth,  she  rather 
dreaded  that  next  meeting  with  her  mother  and 
uncle  Gabriel  and  the  girls.  "  They  have  such 
queer  ideas  about  things,"  she  told  herself,  staring 
gloomily  out  of  the  carriage  window  at  the  squat 
gray  building  on  the  other  side  of  the  street,  the 
ugliness  of  which  did  not  tend  to  raise  her  spirits. 

Slowly  and  painfully  Miss  Austin  climbed  the 
long  stairs.  "  Just  fancy  anybody  having  to  go  up 
and  down  this  dreadful  height  every  day  in  the 
year,"  she  thought,  in  weary  wonder,  toiling  up 
and  up,  with  panting  breath  and  lagging  feet; 
then  suddenly  realized  that  she  was  at  her  jour- 
ney's end. 

In  the  hall,  in  the  small  open  square  before  the 
parlor  door,  full  in  the  sunshine  that  streamed 
through  the  skylight,  were  gathered  together  sev- 
eral people,  some  of  whom  were  immediately  classi- 
fied in  Miss  Austin's  mind  as  "  queer." 

They  were  Italians  —  a  man  and  woman  —  and 
evidently  emigrants :  he,  short,  swarthy,  dirty, 
looking  like  a  sailor,  with  a  bold  glance,  and  in 
his  ears  small  gold  rings,  the  woman  wearing  a 
short-waisted,  full-skirted,  red  dress.  A  red  cot- 
ton handkerchief  was  tied  over  her  black  hair. 


ON  AND  OFF  113 

and  the  dark  eyes  beneath  it  were  timid  and  ap- 
pealing. She  sat  in  a  chair  feeding  the  infant  on 
her  lap  from  a  bowl  which  a  tall  girl,  with  masses 
of  light  yellow  hair  piled  high  on  her  head,  had 
just  filled  full  of  milk.  Clinging  to  the  woman's 
skirts  was  another  child,  not  long  on  its  legs,  and 
just  then  devoting  all  its  hungry  energies  to  a 
substantial  slice  of  bread  and  sugar.  A  little 
gentleman,  wearing  a  black  silk  skull-cap  that  was 
very  much  askew,  was  conversing  in  Italian  with 
the  sailor. 

While  Miss  Austin  stood  hesitating  whether 
to  ring  the  bell  near  at  hand  or  to  address  the 
party,  which  had  been  too  occupied  to  notice  her 
approach,  the  tall  girl  turned,  saw  her,  and  came 
forward. 

Then  any  doubt  of  being  in  the  right  house 
that  might  possibly  have  entered  the  visitor's 
mind  vanished.  "  You  must  be  Margaret's  sister 
—  you  look  so  like  her,"  she  said  pleasantly,  hold- 
ing out  her  hand  to  Ruth.  "  I  am  Miss  Austin." 

Rufie's  responsive  smile  brought  some  pretty 
dimples  into  play.  "Come  right  into  the  draw- 
ing-room, won't  you  ?  "  she  asked  ;  then  in  passing 
uncle  Gabe,  "  This  is  my  uncle,  the  Reverend  Mr. 
Kincaid." 

The  Italians  followed  the  introduction  with 
open-eyed  attention ;  even  the  bread  and  sugar 
repast  was  suspended  while  uncle  Gabriel  hauled 
off  his  cap  to  the  little  lady,  putting  it  on  again 
more  rakishly  than  ever.  Then  Ruth,  in  her  un- 
conscious, stately  way,  still  grasping  the  empty 


114  FORTUNE'S   BOATS 

milk  pitcher,  ushered  Miss  Austin  into  the  little 
drawing-room,  and  departed  to  find  her  mother. 

"  H'm !  fortunate  thing  Roger  was  n't  with  me," 
reflected  Miss  Austin,  pursing  up  her  lips  at  the 
recollection  of  the  "  queer  "  assemblage  in  the  hall. 
"  He  is  n't  fond  of  the  '  great  unwashed  '  in  such 
close  proximity.  That  little  man  must  be  the 
philanthropic  unele  Gabriel  that  Margaret  has 
talked  of.  I  should  think  he  'd  be  rather  trying 
to  the  family  sometimes  —  right  there  in  the  pub- 
lic hall,  too ! "  Slightly  ruffled,  she  put  up  her 
lorgnon  and  looked  about  the  small  room  in  which 
she  sat,  a  little  more  disposed  to  be  critical.  But 
if  the  shabbiness  of  the  surroundings  did  not  es- 
cape her  notice,  neither  did  its  air  of  refinement. 

"  Gentlefolk,  without  doubt,"  she  thought,  her 
eyes  falling  with  satisfaction  upon  the  bits  of  rare 
old  china  scattered  about,  on  one  or  two  of  which 
was  the  Jeffrey  coat  of  arms.  "  Seen  better  days 
—  I  thought  so  —  furniture  shows  that.  Nice-man- 
nered girl,  too  —  no  awkwardness.  Well,  I  sup- 
pose things  might  have  been  a  good  deal  worse." 
Then  she  rose  to  meet  Margaret's  mother. 

"  Yes,  I  was  very  favorably  impressed,"  the 
little  lady  told  her  brother  that  evening.  "  Mrs. 
Jeffrey  is  well  bred,  sensible,  and  pleasant.  Per- 
haps a  little  old-fashioned  in  some  of  her  ideas,  — 
after  the  old-fashionedness  of  our  dear  mother, 
Roger,  —  but  always  seeking  the  truest  good  for 
her  children,  and  without  the  slightest  touch  of 
artificiality  about  herself.  You  might  do  worse 
than  have  her  for  a  mother-in-law.  We  got  on 


ON  AND  OFF  115 

very  well  together  —  as  soon  as  I  had  vouched  for 
your  respectability,  sir !  "  This  last  with  a  laugh, 
in  which,  however,  Mr.  Austin  did  not  join. 

Miss  Austin's  call  was  not  a  short  one  (to  the 
girl  waiting  in  the  carriage  it  seemed  intermina- 
ble), and  the  two  ladies  parted  in  the  most  friendly 
manner. 

"  Now  you  will  remember,"  Miss  Austin  said 
playfully,  yet  with  decision  in  her  voice,  as  she 
and  Mrs.  Jeffrey  stood  in  the  hall  for  good-by 
(uncle  Gabriel  and  his  Italians  had  disappeared), 
"  if  I  let  Margaret  return  home  to  you,  as  you 
insist  upon  her  doing,  it  is  only  on  the  condition 
that  I  shall  have  her  very  frequently  with  me.  I 
shall  want  her  to  make  me  long  visits.  And  I 
will  take  the  greatest  care  of  her,  in  every  way ; 
on  that  you  may  depend.  As  to  the  wedding, 
my  brother  is  not  a  young  man,  he  cannot  afford 
to  wait,  so  please  you  and  Margaret  bear  that  in 
mind.  You  know,  there  is  really  no  reason  in  the 
world  for  delay,"  she  added,  gathering  up  her 
silken  skirts  preparatory  to  descending  the  steps. 

Mrs.  Jeffrey  smiled.  "  First  you  must  let  us 
get  accustomed  to  the  new  order  of  things,"  she 
answered. 

There  was  a  slight  sadness  in  the  smile  and 
voice,  which  Miss  Austin  was  quick  to  feel. 
"  Don't  you  know  the  old  saw  ?  You  will  not 
lose  a  daughter  but  gain  a  son,"  she  returned. 

For  an  instant  the  two  pairs  of  eyes  met ;  then 
Margaret's  mother  laid  her  firm  bare  hand  on  the 
daintily  gloved  fingers  resting  on  the  banister. 


116  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

"  You  are  a  generous-natured  woman ! "  she  said 
earnestly,  impulsively ;  "  don't  think  I  do  not  ap- 
preciate that  —  for  I  do,  sincerely." 

Very  soberly  the  little  lady  went  down  the  long 
flights;  but  the  face  she  presented  to  Margaret 
was  bright  and  smiling.  "  You  did  n't  half  tell 
me  how  charming  your  mother  is !  "  she  declared, 
in  her  vivacious  way.  "Now,  child,  go  upstairs 
and  make  the  family  a  visit,  and  I  will  call  for 
you  to-morrow  afternoon,  about  this  time."  She 
leaned  from  the  carriage  to  say  a  few  words  more, 
in  an  undertone.  "  You  have  a  good  mother, 
Margaret,  —  a  wise  and  good  mother.  Make  the 
most  of  her  —  you  can  never  get  another  —  and 
you  '11  need  her  all  your  life.  I  lost  my  mother 
when  I  was  twenty,  so  I  know  whereof  I  speak. 
Good-by!" 

Before  Margaret  had  well  reached  the  last 
flight  on  her  way  upstairs,  a  chorus  of  voices 
made  her  look  up,  and  there,  leaning  over  the 
banisters,  smiling  down  upon  her  were  her  mother 
and  the  girls  —  even  Ursula. 

"  Our  paper  went  to  press  early  to-day  —  and 
here  I  am ! "  answered  that  young  woman,  with 
joy  — "  almost  as  if  I  knew  you  were  coming. 
Now  we  can  all  have  a  jolly  visit  together.  Come 
along  in,  you  dear  Mamie  !  " 

Loving  hands  drew  Margaret  up  the  steps  and 
into  the  apartment.  In  a  very  short  space  of  time 
she  was  hugged  and  kissed,  her  hat  and  coat  taken 
off,  and  herself  seated  in  a  comfortable  chair. 

"  There !  "  cried  Frances,  when  this  was  accom- 


ON  AND  OFF  117 

plished.  "  Now  do  tell  us  what  moved  Miss  Aus- 
tin to  let  us  have  you  for  such  a  nice  long  visit  — 
and  to  bring  you  here  herself." 

"  Yes,  was  n't  it  odd  of  her  to  come  ?  "  agreed 
the  sisters. 

Then  Margaret  knew  that  they  were  unaware 
of  the  new  state  of  affairs.  "  Please,  mother,  tell 
them,"  she  asked,  blushing  deeply. 

"  Margaret  wrote  to  me  yesterday  that  she  has 
promised  Mr.  Austin  to  marry  him,"  Mrs.  Jeffrey 
said  briefly. 

"  With  your  consent,  mother,"  added  Margaret 
deprecatingly. 

"  With  my  consent,"  repeated  Mrs.  Jeffrey,  in 
the  same  even  tone. 

"  That  was  why  he  was  coming  to  see  you  yes- 
terday afternoon  —  when  I  met  him !  "  cried  out 
Judith. 

And  then  congratulations  were  in  order. 

But  taken  altogether,  the  effect  of  the  an- 
nouncement upon  the  family  was  not  such  as  was 
expected,  or  as  the  person  chiefly  interested  con- 
sidered it  deserved. 

"  Why,  I  thought  you  people  would  have  been 
perfectly  astonished  —  and  delighted  —  and  proud. 
And  you  take  it  so  coolly  —  every  one  of  you !  " 
she  remarked,  aggrieved  and  disappointed.  "  I 
fancy  you  don't  realize  what  this  means  for  me  — 
for  us  all,  in  fact  —  for  I  'd  be  able  to  do  a  good 
deal  for  you  girls.  I  can  tell  you,"  growing  in- 
dignant, as  she  remembered  her  plans  for  them, 
"  that  men  of  importance,  such  as  he,  don't  go 


118  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

about  marrying  girls  as  poor  as  I  arn,  every  day 
iu  the  year." 

"  But  he  is  awfully  old  for  you,  Mamie," 
objected  Frances,  to  whose  eighteen  years  Mr. 
Austin  might  as  well  have  been  an  antediluvian. 
"  Why,  he  's  grayer  than  uncle  Gabriel !  "  At 
which  rather  dubious  compliment  Mr.  Kincaid 
smiled,  as  he  stroked  his  beard. 

"  Shall  you  have  to  live  with  Miss  Austin,  and 
have  that  sly  housekeeper  and  the  impudent  foot- 
man always  around?"  queried  Ruth  practically. 
"Do  you  think  you'll  like  that?"  with  such  ear- 
nestness that  Frances  laughed. 

"  Well,  I  found  him  very  nice  and  kind  that 
afternoon  in  the  park,"  remarked  Judith,  to  please 
Margaret.  "  And  he  is  certainly  distinguished 
looking.  You  see,  Marnie,"  apologetically,  "  we 
hardly  know  Mr.  Austin ;  perhaps,  on  better  ac- 
quaintance, we  shall  grow  quite  fond  of  him." 

"  Oh,  I  '111  sure  you  will,"  returned  Margaret 
gratefully. 

"  And  what  of  poor  Jim  ?  "  demanded  Ursula, 
abruptly,  standing  pale  and  stern  before  her  eldest 
sister. 

"  Yes,  what  of  that  poor  fellow  ?  "  asked  uncle 
Gabriel,  speaking  for  the  first  time. 

Margaret  immediately  sat  up  very  straight  and 
grew  vehement.  "  I  'm  not  responsible  for  what 
he  thinks  or  feels  about  my  engagement,"  she  cried 
out.  "And  I  don't  consider  that  he  has  a  right 
to  call  me  to  account  for  anything  I  've  done. 
You  need  n't  look  at  me  in  that  way,  Ursula.  I 


ON  AND  OFF  119 

never  told  Jim  Ivors  that  I  would  marry  him  — 
never  I  " 

"  Not  in  so  many  words,  perhaps,"  came  from 
the  mother,  very  quietly  and  coldly.  "  But  some- 
times actions  convey  a  promise  as  distinctly  as 
could  the  most  forcible  and  fluent  words.  You  have 
accepted  marked  attentions  from  Jim,  you  have 
allowed  him  to  remain  under  the  belief  that  the 
home  he  was  working  for  was  for  you  —  as  his 
wife.  You  may  not  have  said  it,  but  you  have 
acted  it  —  which  is  the  same.  You  knew  of  his 
buying  those  pieces  of  furniture  —  you  helped  him 
choose  them.  You  have  deceived  Jim,  Margaret. 
It  hurts  me  to  say  it,  but  you  have  deceived  our 
simple-hearted,  faithful,  honest  friend.  That  is 
why  I  can  take  no  pleasure  in  this  sudden  engage- 
ment. Margaret,  were  not  Mr.  Austin  a  rich  man, 
surrounded  by  the  glamour  and  show  of  worldly 
prosperity,  would  you  so  quickly  have  discovered 
his  many  virtues,  and  Jim's  shortcomings?  You 
were  very  happy  in  Jim  Ivors's  attentions  before 
you  went  to  Washington  Square.  I  have  no 
objections  to  Mr.  Austin,  I  believe  him  to  be  a 
kindly  and  good  man ;  under  other  circumstances 
I  should  have  welcomed  him  as  a  son.  What 
hurts  me  is  that  you  should  have  thrown  Jim  over 
as  you  have.  Oh,  my  child,  I  would  far  rather 
have  you  poor  all  your  life,  and  noble  hearted,  than 
see  you  the  wealthiest,  most  fashionable  lady  in  the 
land,  and  false  to  your  better  self ! "  The  calmness 
had  died  out  of  Mrs.  Jeffrey's  voice  long  before 
she  reached  this  point.  She  finished  huskily. 


120  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

Margaret  sprang  to  her  feet.  "  Mother !  — 
mother !  I  don't  love  Jim  —  I  should  be  most 
unhappy  as  his  wife.  Would  n't  it  be  wicked  to 
marry  him  when  I  care  more  for  Hog  —  Mr.  Aus- 
tin ?  "  she  urged.  "  It  is  n't  for  the  money  or 
position,  mother,  truly  it  is  n't,  but  because  I 
don't  care  for  Jim.  I  don't !  —  /  dont !  "  She 
threw  her  hands  out  vehemently  to  emphasize  the 
words. 

Mrs.  Jeffrey  looked  steadfastly  into  the  beauti- 
ful flushed  face,  the  brown  eyes  full  of  a  wistful 
pleading  that  was  hard  to  resist. 

"You  haven't  once  kissed  me  for  —  for  —  my 
engagement.  You  are  n't  even  glad  that  I  'in 
happy,"  Margaret  cried,  swift  tears  brimming  in 
her  eyes,  her  lips  trembling. 

Then  the  mother's  arms  went  wide  open,  and 
gathered  the  eldest  daughter  to  her  in  a  close 
embrace.  "  Oh,  child,  you  know  well  what  your 
happiness  is  to  me !  "  she  said.  And  stooping  over 
the  two,  uncle  Gabriel  laid  a  kiss  on  Margaret's 
cheek,  blew  his  nose  sonorously,  and  trotted  off  to 
his  little  bedroom  without  a  word. 

"  But  you  must  see  Jim,  and  tell  him  yourself 
of  your  engagement.  That,  at  least,  is  his  due  — 
which  you  must  give,"  Mrs.  Jeffrey  told  Mar- 
garet, and  sighed  as  she  said  it. 

"  Indeed  you  '11  have  to  —  he  would  never  believe 
it  from  any  one  else,"  drawled  Ruth  bluntly.  "  lie 
told  me  that  one  evening  some  weeks  ago  —  that 
he  would  never  give  you  up  —  '  unless  she  herself 
asks  her  freedom  from  me.'  That  was  what  he 


ON  AND   OFF  121 

said.  And  then  he  added,  *  But  she  '11  never  do 
that.  Peggie  is  true  to  the  core  !  '  Was  n't  that 
it,  Ursula?  I  told  you  about  it.  Yes,  that's  it 
—  word  for  word,"  as  Ursula  gave  a  curt  nod  of 
assent  and  left  the  room. 

A  little  shiver  went  through  the  lithe  young 
body  which  Mrs.  Jeffrey's  arm  still  encircled.  But 
Margaret  lifted  her  head,  and  spoke  out  clearly 
and  with  decision.  "  Well,  then,  I  '11  see  him. 
I  'm  sorry  to  have  to  give  pain  to  Jim,  but  if  I  've 
got  to,  why,  it  has  to  be  done,  that 's  all.  And  the 
sooner  the  interview  is  over,  the  better." 

But  in  spite  of  this  brave  speech,  when,  that 
evening,  Frances  rushed  into  the  room  where  were 
Margaret  and  Ursula,  and,  well-nigh  breathless 
with  excitement,  announced  —  "  Jim  is  here  !  He 's 
in  the  drawing-room !  Uncle  Gabriel  and  Judy  are 
talking  to  him,  and  mother  and  Rufie  are  almost 
crying  out  in  the  dining-room.  Mother  says  better 
go  right  in,"  —  Margaret  grew  white  and  looked 
very  much  frightened. 

"  Oh,  Ursula !  "  she  cried,  with  a  gasp.  "  Oh, 
you  go  in  and  tell  him  !  " 

First  Ursula  induced  Frances  to  leave  the  room, 
much  to  the  disgust  of  the  "  youngest,"  who  was 
all  eyes  and  ears,  and  who  told  afterward  that 
"cold  shivers  were  running  up  and  down  her 
spine,"  as  the  result  of  Jim's  arrival.  As  soon  as 
she  had  gone,  Ursula,  with  a  return  of  the  stern- 
ness she  had  shown  in  the  afternoon  (to  cover  her 
nervousness),  said,  "It  isn't  my  place  to  see  Jim, 
Margaret,  it  is  yours.  You  said  you  would  see 


122  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

him,  and  you  should.  You  have  brought  all  this 
upon  yourself." 

Margaret  was  sitting  on  the  edge  of  the  bed, 
trying  to  trim  a  hat.  Now  she  threw  it  aside,  and 
hastily  rose.  "  Yes,  I  did  say  I  'd  go  — and  speak 
to  him,  and  I  will,"  she  asserted  shakily.  "  I  'm 
not  afraid  of  Jim"  —with  an  affort  to  reassure 
herself  —  "  Jim  Ivors  that  I  've  known  almost 
ever  since  I  was  born.  No,  indeed !  Of  course, 
I '11  go." 

Passing  by  the  bureau,  she  caught  sight  of  her 
pale  face  in  the  glass.  "  What  a  fright  I  look !  " 
she  exclaimed,  and  pinched  her  cheeks  to  put  back 
some  color  into  them.  "  Anybody  might  think  I 
was  afraid,"  she  offered  in  excuse,  "  and  I  'm  not. 
Why  should  I  be?" 

But  at  the  door  the  bravado  suddenly  deserted 
her.  She  faced  around,  her  eyes  wide  and  wistful, 
frightened,  her  clasped  hands  working  nervously. 
"  He  is  going  to  be  very  angry,"  she  whispered, 
—  "  very  angry  —  and  hurt.  Oh,  Ursula,  how  can 
I  tell  him  !  " 

"Don't  tell  him,  Marnie  dear,  don't!"  cried 
Ursula  eagerly,  imploringly.  "  Tell  Mr.  Austin 
the  whole  story  and  let  him  go,  and  you  hold  to 
Jim,  faithful  old  Jim !  Deep  down  in  your  heart 
I  'm  sure  you  must  love  him  best." 

But  Margaret  drew  herself  up  and  away  from 
her  sister,  with  a  startled,  haughty  gesture.  "  Oh, 
hush  1 "  she  ordered  imperiously,  and  left  the 
room.  , 

The  house  was  very  quiet,  the  family  collected 


ON   AND   OFF  123 

in  the  dining-room  trying  to  read  or  sew,  but  with 
sadly  distracted  thoughts  and  interest.  And  in 
the  little  bedroom  Ursula  sat  and  waited  for  Mar- 
garet. 

By  and  by  she  came  in,  pale,  quiet,  and  com- 
posed. "  Well  —  it 's  all  over  !  He  's  gone !  " 
she  announced,  sitting  down  on  the  side  of  the 
bed,  and  looking  steadily  at  Ursula.  "  He 's  gone, 
and  I  suppose  we  '11  never  meet  again.  He  said 
he  would  never  come  here  again  —  that  he  hoped 
he  would  never  lay  eyes  on  me  again  !  " 

"  Was  he  —  very  angry  ?  "  asked  Ursula  softly. 

Margaret  nodded.  With  the  greatest  care  she 
began  smoothing  out  a  piece  of  ribbon  that  lay 
near.  "  He  would  n't  believe  me  —  at  first,"  she 
whispered,  not  lifting  her  eyes  from  the  ribbon. 
"  Then  —  he  got  very  angry  —  and  said  some 
mean  things.  That  I  'd  '  played '  with  him  — 
'deceived'  him  —  just  what  mother  said.  Then," 

—  Margaret  picked  a  thread  or  two  off  her  lap 
and  laid  them  in  a  paper  beside  her,  —  "  then,"  she 
continued  slowly,  "  he  got  cold  and  indifferent  — 
I  think  if  I  'd  gone  down  on  my  knees  to  him,  at 
the  last,  he  would  n't  have  looked  at  me.     Fancy 

—  Jim  !    And  he  was  sarcastic,  too  —  said  he  was 
so  glad  I  'd  found  out  —  in  time  —  that  I  did  n't 
care  for  him."     She  put  her  hands  over  her  face 
and  shuddered.     "  I  could  never  —  never  —  forget 
some  of    the  things    he    said   to  me  to-night.     I 
could  n't  tell  even  you,  Ursula,  they  hurt  so !  " 

Presently  she  lifted  her  head.  "  He  was  n't 
brutal,  you  know,"  she  said  drearily ;  "  he  did  n't 


124  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

swear  —  or  revile  me  —  but  he  despises  me.  I  — 
I  don't  think  he  cared  so  —  very  much,  Ursula. 
He  did  n't  plead  —  or  —  beg  me  not  to  give  him 
up.  But  all  his  life  —  all  his  life  —  he  will 
despise  me  !  He  said  that !  " 

"Marnie  —  Marnie,  my  own  dear  sister;  oh! 
are  you  sure  —  sure  —  that  after  all  you  don't 
love  Jim  best  ? "  pleaded  Ursula,  kneeling  by 
Margaret's  side,  laying  her  arms  about  her  waist. 

Margaret  shook  her  head.  "  If  I  even  did  — 
he  would  n't  come  back  —  now.  He  would  never 
trust  me  again  —  he  said  so ;  and  I  don't  want 
him — I  don't  want  him;"  she  roused  up  and  spoke 
with  more  decision.  "  I  love  Roger  Austin  ;  I  do 
truly,  Ursa.  He  is  so  refined,  so  courtly  in  his 
manners,  so  neat  in  his  dress.  Perhaps  it 's  fool- 
ish to  be  influenced  by  such  things,  but  I  can't 
help  it.  I  know  I  shall  be  much  happier  with 
him  than  I  ever  could  have  been  with  Jim.  I 
could  n't  have  gone  and  lived  in  that  mean  little 
studio  all  my  life,  and,  perhaps,  had  to  get  break- 
fast day  in  and  day  out  for  him  —  Jim  —  and  my- 
self. Think  what  an  existence  !  I  could  n't  do  it ! 
I  know  you  think  me  horrid,  Ursula,  I  see  it  in  your 
face,  but  I  can't  help  it.  How  did  mother  ever 
have  a  child  like  me  ?  Don't  tell  them  I  said  all 
this  — please,  Ursula !  They  'd  think  I  was  surely 
marrying  Mr.  Austin  for  his  money.  And  I  'm 
not  —  honestly,  truly,  I  'm  not.  I  really  love  him 
—  far  better  than  I  ever  did  or  could  —  the  other 
man.  He  was  too  demonstrative  —  he  tired  me 
with  his  affection.  So,"  with  a  long  breath,  "  that 


ON  AND  OFF  125 

chapter  in  my  life  is  closed.     So  much  the  better 
—  for  everybody." 

Suddenly  she  held  out  her  cold  hands  for 
Ursula's  quick  warm  grasp.  "  Ursa  —  I  —  I  — 
know  I  deserve  to  feel  badly  —  I  've  done  it  all 
myself,"  she  whispered,  with  trembling  lips,  "  but 
go  ask  mother  to  come  to  me.  Oh  —  I  want  her ! 
I  am  so  unhappy !  " 


CHAPTER  VIII 
AN   ACQUISITION   AND  A  LOSS 

"JuDT,  our  cousin  Basil-Dazzle  would  like  to 
see  you,  right  away,"  Frances  said,  putting  her 
head  into  the  doorway  of  the  room  where  were 
three  of  her  sisters. 

Margaret,  who  was  now  at  home  until  her  mar- 
riage, and  whose  spirits  by  this  time  had  quite 
recovered  from  the  effects  of  her  interview  with 
Jim,  stood  before  a  big  old-fashioned  bureau,  go- 
ing through  the  ordeal,  at  Ruth's  hands,  of  being 
"  fitted."  Judith  hovered  near,  making  sugges- 
tions, encouraging,  criticising,  and  more  than  once, 
in  her  own  especial  way,  pouring  oil  upon  the 
troubled  waters  which  were  certain  to  arise  on  such 
occasions. 

It  was  one  of  these  times  when  Frances  ap- 
peared and  gave  Basil's  message.  There  was 
some  excitement  in  the  "  youngest's "  voice  and 
face,  but  Judy  was  too  much  occupied  with  an- 
other small  excitement  to  pay  attention  just  then. 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  know  you  're  doing  your  best, 
Ruth,"  Margaret  was  saying,  making  a  strong 
effort  to  keep  calm  and  polite.  "  But  all  the  same, 
there  is  something  wrong  with  this  left  shoulder. 
It  makes  me  look  as  if  I  had  a  hump.  Can't  you 


AN  ACQUISITION  AND  A  LOSS  127 

see  it  ?  "  —  as  she  spoke,  twisting  herself  to  get  her 
hand  upon  the  place. 

"  I  'm  sure  I  can't  help  it,"  returned  Ruth  de- 
spairingly. "  I  've  made  both  sides  exactly  alike, 
and  just  according  to  the  pattern.  It  is  n't  my 
fault." 

"  Well,  perhaps  it 's  mine,  then ;  perhaps  my 
shoulder  is  growing  out,"  suggested  Margaret, 
growing  sarcastic. 

Literal  Rufie's  eyes  opened  wide.  "  Oh,  do  you 
think  so  ?  "  she  exclaimed  in  dismay.  "  Suppose 
I  measure." 

But  Margaret  flung  away  from  her,  with  an 
indignant,  "  Indeed,  I  'm  not  crooked !  It 's  the 
stupid  old  pattern  that  is  at  fault.  Never  mind," 
with  a  sudden  accession  of  cold  dignity ;  "  don't 
bother  any  more  with  the  waist,  Ruth.  I  '11  try 
and  do  without  it." 

"  But  I  thought  you  wanted  it  for  the  Austins' 
dinner  —  this  week.  You  've  worn  the  yellow  the 
Greenoughs  sent  you  again  and  again ;  and  you 
have  n't  anything  else,"  Ruth  reminded  her. 

"  I  'd  rather  wear  it  a  dozen  times  than  carry 
this  hump  around  on  my  shoulder.  I  '11  have  to 
wear  the  old  waist  again,  that 's  all ;  "  Margaret's 
martyr-like  tone  reduced  Ruth  almost  to  tears, 
and  sent  Judith  into  a  spasm  of  laughter. 

"  You  make  me  feel  as  if  it  were  my  fault  that 
the  waist  won't  fit  you.  You  're  unreasonable  !  " 
declared  Rufie,  ready  to  weep,  for  all  her  height 
and  stateliness. 

"  Don't   be   such  a  sensitive  plant ! "  retorted 


128  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

Margaret,  beginning  with  angry,  energetic  fingers 
to  unfasten  the  offending  garment. 

"  Now,  children  dear,  remember  Dr.  Watts  — 
4  don't  let  your  angry  passions  rise ; '  'let  dogs 
delight  to  bark  and  bite,'  etc.,  etc.,"  admonished 
Judy,  from  the  side  of  the  bed  whence  she  had  re- 
tired to  laugh  at  her  ease.  "  Mamie,  your  hump 
grows  larger  and  larger,  by  the  minute  —  no  won- 
der Ruth  can't  fit  you.  And,  Rufie,  there  is  cer- 
tainly something  wrong  with  that  waist.  Why, 
anybody  with  half  an  eye  could  see  that.  I  don't 
suppose  this  has  anything  to  do  with  the  difficulty, 
eh  ?  "  she  asked  innocently,  reaching  out  a  hand 
and  holding  up  to  view  a  long  white  thread  she 
had  spied  on  Margaret's  shoulder. 

"  The  basting  thread  has  given  way  —  no  won- 
der the  shoulder  puffed  out !  "  cried  Ruth  joy- 
fully. 

"  Why  did  n't  we  see  it  before ! "  exclaimed 
Margaret ;  and  with  renewed  vigor  and  good  na- 
ture the  business  of  fitting  was  resumed. 

"  The  atmosphere  clears  —  peace  reigns  once 
more ! "  declared  Judy,  falling  back  on  the  bed 
with  a  prodigious  sigh  of  relief. 

"  And  Basil  is  waiting  to  see  you.  He  is  in  the 
dining-room  with  mother,"  supplemented  Frances, 
who  had  been  a  silent  witness  of  the  "  fuss,"  as 
such  small  altercations  were  designated  in  the 
family. 

"  Did  he  ask  for  me  —  particularly  ?  "  demanded 
Judith. 

On   being  assured   that  he  had,  Judy  dipped 


AN  ACQUISITION  AND  A  LOSS  129 

under  Margaret's  elbow  to  get  a  sight  of  herself 
in  the  mirror,  patted  her  fluffy  hair  a  few  times, 
and  then  walked  into  the  dining-room  with  her 
usual  air  of  languid,  graceful  dignity. 

The  new  cousin  had  become  a  constant  visitor 
at  the  house  since  that  first  evening  of  his  intro- 
duction, and,  despite  a  certain  roughness  of  manner 
and  a  habit  of  asking  intimate  questions,  he  had 
grown  to  be  quite  a  favorite.  This  was  without 
doubt  in  a  great  measure  due  to  the  genuine 
interest  he  displayed  in  all  that  concerned  the 
family,  and  his  evident  enjoyment  of  their  society. 
"  You  're  awfully  good  to  let  me  come  here  so 
often,  cousin  Etta,"  he  would  say.  "  A  big  city 
is  a  lonely  place  to  be  in  without  friends."  And 
that  he  rarely  spoke  of  his  own  affairs,  was  unwill- 
ing even  to  approach  the  subject,  passed  almost 
unnoticed  and  entirely  uncommented  upon  by  his 
simple  kindly  relatives. 

"  Oh,  here  you  are !  Thought  you  were  never 
coming,"  Basil  remarked,  rising  to  meet  Judith  — 
he  had  been  sitting  astride  a  chair,  talking  to  Mrs. 
Jeffrey.  "  I  guess  you  'd  have  dropped  everything 
and  come  in  quick  enough,  had  you  known  what 
I  've  got  here,"  he  added,  with  a  shrewd  smile. 

"  Indeed !  Would  I  ?  That  depends,"  Judith 
answered  indifferently,  looking  around  the  room 
for  the  piece  of  work  she  had  thrown  aside  to  go 
and  be  umpire  at  the  "  fitting." 

"  Oh,  don't  begin  sewing  right  away,"  objected 
Basil.  "  What  was  it  you  said  the  other  day  that 
you  'd  love  to  have  ?  " 


130  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

"  A  fortune  —  to  help  ray  poor  people,"  promptly 
replied  Judith,  hunting  through  the  work-basket 
for  a  needle. 

The  new  cousin  scowled.  "  Seems  to  me  you  're 
always  thinking  of  money ! "  he  said  shortly. 
Then  as  Judy  shrugged  her  shoulders  with  care- 
less unconcern,  he  stooped,  hauled  a  basket  from 
under  the  table,  and  set  it  before  her.  "  Look  in 
there,"  he  bade  her  briefly. 

Judith  looked,  and  her  indifference  immediately 
vanished.  "  Oh,  it  is  a  doggie  —  a  dear,  darling 
puppy ! "  she  cried  out  in  enthusiastic,  girlish 
delight.  "  Oh,  mother  !  girls !  come  see  it." 

"  It 's  a  Japanese  spaniel  —  they  're  not  picked 
up  every  day  —  and  I  've  brought  it  especially  for 
you,"  observed  Basil,  fairly  beaming  with  satis- 
faction. "  You  said  you  would  like  to  own  a  dog  ; 
and  this  one  's  young,  so  you  can  train  him  as  you 
please."  He  lifted  the  puppy  out  of  the  basket 
and  set  him  on  the  table,  round  which  the  girls 
(Margaret  and  Ruth  had  joined  the  group) 
crowded,  exclaiming  over  his  many  perfections. 

"  He  is  a  beauty !  And  as  he  is  a  Jap,  I  '11  name 
him  Count  Ito,"  declared  Judith.  "  Don't  all  of 
you  think  that  is  suitable  ?  " 

The  count  was  indeed  a  thoroughbred  :  his  silky 
black  coat  curled  beautifully,  his  nose  was  of  the 
shortest,  the  sauciest,  and  most  snubby  of  snubs, 
and  a  reigning  belle  might  have  envied  him  his 
eyes,  large,  brown,  and  soft  as  velvet.  When  he 
cocked  his  youthful  head  on  one  side,  with  a  shrill, 
friendly  little  bark,  and  then  fell  to  chewing  Ju- 


131 

dith's  finger,  she  caught  the  little  creature  up  in 
her  arms  and  kissed  him  in  an  ecstasy  of  owner- 
ship and  delight.  "  You  're  the  dearest,  sweetest, 
cutest  little  doggie  in  all  the  world ! "  she  cried. 
"I  have  never  before  had  a  pet  all  of  my  very 
own.  Thank  you  ever  and  ever  so  much,  Basil !  " 
lifting  to  the  new  cousin  a  flushed,  happy  face. 

"  Oh,  that 's  nothing,"  Basil  said  modestly.  "  I 
am  glad  you  like  him."  Then  added  in  an  under- 
tone, confidentially,  unwisely,  drawing  a  little 
nearer,  "  Now  we  are  all  right  again  —  you  and  I 

—  are  n't  we  ?     You  know,"  he  explained,  seeing 
perplexity  in  Judy's  face,  —  "  you  know,  you  got 
provoked  with  me  because  I  did  n't  offer  —  before 
Jim  Ivors  did  —  to  go  with  you  that  first  evening 
I  came  here.     Eemember  ?     Well,  I  did  n't  know 
you  then  —  I  would  n't  do  that  now.     The  dog  is 
a  peace-offering  —  see  ?     Now  we  're  good  friends, 
are  n't  we  ?  " 

Judith's  eyes  opened  wide  in  amazement  and  her 
pale  cheeks  flamed  ;  she  set  Count  Ito  down  hard. 
"  What !  you  offer  me  this  dog  as  a  bribe  to  be 
friends  with  you  ?  "  she  cried  breathlessly ;  she 
was  very  angry.  "  You  have  made  a  mistake  " 

—  Judy's  graceful  head  went  up ;    "I 'm  not  of 
the  sort  to  be  won  over  by  presents.     Take  back 
your  dog."     She  gave  the  sprawling  count  a  shove 
toward  his  former  owner. 

"  Why  —  but "  —  stammered  Basil,  in  astonish- 
ment. "  If  you  are  n't  the  queerest  girl !  I  thought 
women  liked  to  receive  presents." 

"  I  'm  not  '  women,'  I  'm  only  one  woman ;  and  I 


132  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

answer  — '  not  when  they  are  intended  as  bribes,'  " 
retorted  Judith.  "  I  am  not  a  child  to  be  coaxed 
into  friendliness  by  a  present.  I  despise  that  sort 
of  thing !  "  Her  eyes  flashed  contempt  at  the  dis- 
comfited cousin. 

"  I  will  not  take  it  back,"  declared  Basil  sulkily. 

"  Mother  !  girls  !  "  Judith  raised  her  voice. 
"  Basil  has  brought  all  of  you  this  lovely  dog,"  she 
said. 

"  Why,  I  thought 't  was  yours,"  put  in  Frances. 

"  So  it  is,  but  she  won't  keep  it,"  ruefully  ex- 
plained Basil. 

Mrs.  Jeffrey  saw  the  furrow  between  Judy's  eye- 
brows, her  compressed  lips,  and  kindly  came  to 
the  rescue.  "  Come  over  here,  Basil,  and  tell  me 
how  to  take  care  of  the  count,"  she  called.  "  I 
know  that  these  foreign  dogs  have  to  have  dif- 
ferent treatment  from  ours." 

But  very  soon  Basil  came  back  to  Judith.  Sit- 
ting at  the  table  playing  with  the  contents  of  her 
work-basket  he  said,  in  a  low  aggrieved  voice, 
"  D'  you  know,  Judy,  you  're  awfully  hard  on  a 
fellow.  The  other  girls 're  pleasant  enough,  but 
you  —  why  you  don't  treat  me  even  halfway  decent 
—  just  because  I  happened  to  offend  you  that  first 
evening.  I  want  to  be  friends  with  you.  In  fact," 
with  a  sudden  burst  of  feeling,  "  I  'd  rather  be 
friends  with  you  than  with  any  girl  I  know  —  than 
with  any  girl  in  —  the  whole  world.  There,  now !  " 

His  tone  implied  that  he  was  paying  her  an 
immense  compliment,  but  Judith  was  not  at  all 
impressed.  Quite  unmoved,  and  without  a  word, 


133 

she  threaded  her  needle  and  continued  sewing  on 
the  little  warm  frock  she  was  making  for  one  of 
her  poor  children. 

Basil's  light  eyes  gazed  perplexedly  at  the  grace- 
ful down-bent  head,  the  slender  fingers  flying  in 
and  out  of  the  heavy  dark  material  in  her  lap. 
"  Wonder  if  she  'd  treat  me  differently  if  she 
knew  ?  "  he  thought,  and  scowled  fiercely.  "  Look 
here,  Judy,"  he  said  presently,  with  an  earnestness 
in  his  voice  that  had  some  slight  effect  upon  the 
stony-hearted  young  person  to  whom  his  remarks 
were  directed,  —  "  look  here,  I  want  to  be  friends 
—  real  honest,  true  friends  —  with  you.  Tell  me 
how  to  set  about  it,  will  you  ?  You  would  n't  go  to 
the  theatre  the  other  evening  when  I  took  the  rest 
of  the  family.  You  said  you  had  something  to  do, 
but  I  know  better.  Now  you  won't  take  the  dog  ; 
and  I  went  to  an  awful  lot  of  trouble  "  ("  and 
expense,"  he  nearly  added,  but  caught  himself  in 
time)  "to  get  just  the  kind  I  thought  you'd  like. 
You  're  hard  on  me,  that 's  what  you  are.  I  did  n't 
mean  the  pup  as  a  bribe,  as  you  call  it.  I  simply 
wanted  to  do  something  for  you  that  you  'd  like. 
If  you  won't  accept  attentions  or  presents,  tell 
me  something  I  can  do  for  you."  As  he  spoke,  in 
his  mind  Basil  recalled  a  long  list  of  young  ladies 
who  had  by  no  means  been  loth  to  extend  their 
friendship  to  him,  and,  while  conscious  of  a  vague 
wonder  at  his  present  humility,  yet  repeated,  "  Tell 
me  of  something  I  can  do  for  you." 

Judith  dropped  her  work  and  met  her  cousin's 
gaze  directly.  "  You  can  go  to  the  night  school  I 


134  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

told  you  about  the  other  day,  and  teach  the  boys 
wood-carving,"  she  said  demurely.  "  You  do  it  so 
well." 

"  Eh  ?  —  what  —  oh,  but  every  night  in  the 
week  ?  "  he  cried,  flushing  crimson,  considerably 
taken  aback. 

"No;  two  nights  in  the  week,  from  seven  to 
nine  o'  clock,"  returned  Judith  crisply.  A  little 
sarcastic  smile  that  curved  her  lips  stung  the  young 
fellow.  "  Some  people  make  glib  offers  that  they 
never  intend  to  have  accepted.  I  might  have 
known  yours  were  of  that  order,"  she  said. 

"  Oh,  but,  Judith,  tell  me  something  reason- 
able," he  objected  warmly.  "  I  don't  know  any- 
thing about  those  boys  ;  I  would  n't  know  how  to 
teach  'em ! " 

"Time  you  learned,  then,"  was  the  uncompro- 
mising reply,  and  Judy  turned  coldly  from  him. 
"  Mother,  will  you  show  me  how  to  put  in  this 
sleeve  ?  "  she  asked. 

Just  then  the  front  door  was  heard  to  close  ; 
some  one  came  along  the  hall  and  paused  in  the 
doorway.  For  an  instant  the  family  gazed  at  the 
newcomer  in  unrecognizing  silence,  then,  "  Gabriel 
—  what  have  you  been  doing  to  yourself  ?  "  almost 
screamed  Mrs.  Jeffrey,  rising  and  taking  a  step 
forward  in  her  surprise. 

"  Oh,  uncle  Gabe,  your  beautiful  beard  !  " 
cried  the  girls,  in  one  piteous  wail.  Miss  Wee  wee 
stood  on  her  hind  legs  in  Count  Ito's  basket,  which 
she  had  been  investigating,  and  gazed  critically  at 
her  master.  And  leaning  forward  in  his  chair, 


AN  ACQUISITION  AND  A  LOSS  135 

elbows  on  his  knees,  chin  in  his  palms,  Basil  sur- 
veyed the  little  gentleman  with  grim  curiosity. 

Sure  enough,  the  pointed,  glossy  brown  beard 
which  had  for  so  many  years  adorned  Mr.  Kin- 
caid's  face,  and  been  a  source  of  comfort  in  medi- 
tation, was  now  gone,  revealing  in  its  absence  a 
chin  more  gentle  and  benign  than  remarkable  for 
strength. 

"Oh,  Gabriel!  how  could  you  do  it?"  de- 
manded Mrs.  Jeffrey  tragically ;  and  every  one 
waited  in  silence  for  Mr.  Kincaid's  reply. 

Uncle  Gabriel  made  a  deprecating  movement  of 
his  thin  hands.  "  My  dear,  I  —  I  —  did  it  for 
the  best,"  he  remarked  tremulously.  Divesting 
himself  of  his  long-skirted  overcoat,  he  drew  out 
his  cap  and  proceeded  to  fit  it  over  his  head  with 
shaking  fingers.  This  done  he  faced  his  family, 
the  usual  smile  gone  from  his  lips,  the  jaunty  air 
from  his  manner.  "  There  was  a  great  deal  of 
gray  in  my  beard,  Etta,  a  great  deal.  Judith, 
you  noticed  it "  (the  family  immediately  turned 
a  reproachful  glance  upon  Judy,  who  looked  self- 
convicted)  ;  "  and  I  think  that  has  interfered  with 
my  getting  a  parish,"  uncle  Gabriel  explained,  his 
eyes  traveling  from  one  to  another  of  the  assem- 
blage, mutely  asking  sympathy  and  approval. 
"  You  know,  wardens  and  vestrymen  don't  like 
to  place  their  parish  in  charge  of  an  old-looking 
man.  One  can't  altogether  blame  them  for  that. 
My  hair  —  well,  we  call  it  that  by  courtesy ; 
there  's  only  a  fringe  left,"  —  a  gleam  of  amuse- 
ment flitted  over  uncle  Gabe's  expressive  face,  — 


136  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

"  so  there 's  no  use  considering  that ;  and  quite 
young  men  are  bald  in  these  days.  But  a  beard 
like  mine,  thick  and  noticeable,"  with  a  reminis- 
cent sigh,  "  and  almost  all  gray,  does  make  a  man 
look  older.  As  you  all  know,  I  've  been  asked  to 
preach  in  place  after  place,  and  I  think  I  have 
given  them  good  sermons,"  throwing  an  appealing 
glance  at  Judith,  who  nodded  emphatically.  "  But 
nothing  has  come  of  these  visits,  these  sermons  — 
polite  attentions,  some  compliments,  perhaps,  but 
no  parish.  This  failure  of  a  field  of  work  has 
troubled  me  greatly.  And  after  serious  reflection 

—  very  serious  reflection  —  I  came  to  the  conclu- 
sion, induced  by  a  remark  I  accidentally  overheard, 

—  it  was  not  intended  to  wound  me,  and  it  showed 
me  iny  duty,  —  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  this," 
he  made  a  motion  to  caress  his  beard,  then  remem- 
bering the  loss,  dropped  his  hand  heavily  to  his 
side,  —  "  that  it  interfered  with  my  usefulness.     So 
to-day  —  I  had  it  taken  off." 

"  I  don't  see  how  anybody  could  possibly  have 
found  fault  with  that  beautiful  beard !  "  cried 
Francie,  still  inconsolable. 

"  I  think  he  looks  older  without  it,"  drawled 
Kutli,  and  was  indignant  at  the  sharp  nudge  her 
twin  gave  her  to  be  silent. 

"  But  why  did  you  do  it  now  —  in  cold  weather  ?  " 
remonstrated  Mrs.  Jeffrey.  "  After  wearing  a 
beard  for  so  many  years  you  will  certainly  have 
a  sore  throat  —  or  worse  —  without  it.  Really, 
Gabriel,  this  is  a  piece  of  recklessness.  "Why 
couldn't  you  have  waited  until  the  summer?" 


AN  ACQUISITION  AND   A  LOSS  137 

"  Because,"  —Mr.  Kincaid  put  his  hands  in  his 
pockets  and  jingled  his  keys,  in  an  attempt  to  be 
jocular,  —  "  because  I  have  been  asked  to  preach 
in  Enfield  next  Sunday,  and  I  should  like  to  be 
called  to  that  parish.  There  's  work  there  wait- 
ing for  some  one,  why  not  for  me?  What  's 
personal  appearance  compared  to  one's  useful- 
ness? That  is  the  first  object  to  be  considered, 
especially  by  a  clergyman  —  a  minister  of  the 
Gospel.  I  don't  regret  what  I  've  done,  no," 
stoutly,  "  it  was  the  right  —  the  only  thing  to  do, 
when  once  I  understood  it.  You  know,  my  dears," 
peering  at  his  women  folk,  in  spite  of  his  own 
opinion,  anxious  for  their  approval,  "  this  inac- 
tivity wears  upon  me."  He  grew  earnest.  "  I 
should  prefer  a  parish  where  I  might  have  the 
privilege,  with  our  Lord's  help,  of  cheering, 
strengthening,  and  uplifting  —  of  loving  and  com- 
forting the  souls  committed  to  my  charge.  What 
is  a  —  eh  —  slight  personal  loss  compared  with 
that?" 

"  Well,  your  surplice  is  ready ;  I  did  it  up  for 
you  only  yesterday,"  Ruth  informed  him.  "  And," 
cheerfully,  "  anyway,  uncle  Gabe,  you  can  grow 
another  beard.  'Twill  take  time,  but  you  can 
do  it  —  after  you  have  settled  down  in  your  parish. 
That  would  n't  prevent  your  working  hard,  you 
know,  or  people  from  liking  you." 

Mr.  Kincaid  shook  his  head.  "  No,"  he  said 
slowly.  "  I  think  I  will  never  let  my  beard  grow 
again.  You  know  I  shall  be  getting  older  every 
day  —  I  '11  not  be  able  to  afford  it.  A  man  al- 


138  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

ways  looks  younger  with  a  shaven  face.  Eh?" 
He  turned  to  Basil  for  confirmation. 

"  Oh,  sure !  and  it 's  fashionable,  too,"  replied 
that  individual,  with  easy  acquiescence  and  a 
broad  grin,  which  last  brought  him  a  flash  of 
disapproval  from  Judith's  eyes. 

"  The  train  —  I  looked  it  up  —  goes  early  on 
Sunday  morning,"  continued  uncle  Gabriel,  quite 
unconscious  of  the  new  cousin's  facetia  at  his  ex- 
pense, "  and  I  think  I  should  like  Judith  to  go 
with  me.  The  railroad  fare,"  apologetically,  "  is 
high,  or  I  should  have  you  all  go  —  and  she  has 
the  critical  faculty "  (here  Basil  gave  a  grunt 
which  set  Frances  giggling,  and  which  Judith, 
very  properly,  ignored)  ;  "  she  could  tell  me  after- 
ward if  —  if  I  did  well  or  ill." 

"  Certainly  I  '11  go  with  you,  uncle  Gabriel,  and 
be  glad  to,"  Judy  assured  him,  with  a  smile  which 
the  new  cousin  would  have  been  delighted  to  have 
had  directed  at  himself. 

"Thank  you,  my  dear,"  the  little  man  said 
gently,  as  he  left  the  room. 

Something  in  his  voice,  a  certain  unwonted  sad- 
ness, appealed  to  several  of  those  who  heard  it. 
"  Poor  Gabriel !  "  sighed  Mrs.  Jeffrey,  and  Frances 
dashed  after  Mr.  Kincaid. 

"  Dear  old  boy !  Him  does  feel  badly  over  it," 
she  declared,  in  the  foolish  loving  talk  common 
between  them,  and  thrusting  her  hands  through 
his  arm  she  brought  him  to  a  sudden  halt. 

Uncle  Gabriel  patted  her  shoulder.  "  Nothing 
should  stand  in  the  way  of  the  Lord's  work,"  he 


AN  ACQUISITION   AND  A  LOSS  139 

said  quietly.  "  And  when  I  discovered  that  the 
gray  in  my  beard  interfered  with  my  getting  a 
parish  —  there  could  be  no  other  reason  "  —  with  a 
wistful  unconscious  egoism  that  the  niece  fully 
shared  —  "  why,  it  was  but  right  that  the  beard 
should  go.  It  is  a  trifle,  Frances,  not  deserving 
of  consideration,  but  human  nature  is  weak,  very 
weak  !  And  I  've  worn  that  beard  since  I  was  a 
very  young  man.  There  are  memories  connected 
with  it ;  my  little  son's  fingers  "  —  Uncle  Ga- 
briel's lips  began  twitching,  his  voice  was  husky. 
He  hastily  kissed  Frances  on  the  forehead.  "  I 
appreciate  your  sympathy,  it  comforts  me.  But 
go,  now,"  he  whispered,  pushing  her  gently  from 
him.  "  And  don't  mention  to  the  others  of  my 
weakness."  Stepping  into  his  little  room,  Mr.  Kin- 
caid  drew  the  portiere  across  the  door ;  and  Frances 
slowly  retraced  her  steps  to  the  dining-room. 

In  her  absence  there  had  been  an  addition  to 
the  number.  Ursula  sat  on  the  floor  making  ac- 
quaintance with  Count  Ito,  and,  incidentally,  de- 
fending him  from  the  attacks  of  Miss  Wee  wee, 
who  jealously  resented  the  little  dog's  advent. 
The  count's  knowledge  of  cat  nature  being  as  yet 
nil,  he  had  voluntarily  given  up  the  chewing  of 
Ursula's  finger  to  waddle  consequentially  across 
to  Miss  Weewee,  on  friendly  thoughts  intent. 
His  reception  was,  to  him,  both  unexpected  and 
painful,  for  with  back  uplifted,  flashing  eyes,  and 
swelling  tail,  Miss  Weewee  hissed,  and  swiftly 
dealt  the  too  confiding  visitor  a  stinging  blow  in 
the  face.  Yelping,  the  puppy  backed  away  as  fast 


140  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

as  he  could,  and  was  caught  up  in  Ursula's  arms, 
amid  cries  of  sympathy  and  bursts  of  laughter 
from  the  lookers-on. 

It  was  in  the  midst  of  this  hubbub  that  Frances 
walked  in. 

"  Oh,  Francie,  there  's  a  letter  for  you,  on  the 
table,"  Ursula  said,  without  looking  up.  "  I  took 
it  from  the  postman.  Oh,  girls !  is  n't  this  the 
most  fascinating  little  dog  that  ever  was !  Basil, 
you  deserve  a  vote  of  thanks  from  us  all  for  giving 
him  to  us !  "  And  again  she  fell  to  admiring  the 
count's  silken  coat,  and  what  she  was  pleased  to 
call  his  "  starry  eyes." 

Meanwhile  the  "  youngest "  had  pounced  upon 
her  letter  and  read  it.  "  Oh,  mother !  "  she  cried, 
with  a  little  gasp  of  excitement,  her  brown  eyes 
brilliant,  "  just  think !  it 's  from  Mr.  Rose's  sister 
—  Mrs.  Erveng  —  about  what  we  spoke  of  that 
first  evening  he  came  here.  You  know,  I  told  you 
about  it.  He  said  the  other  day  that  she  was  out 
of  the  city,  and  she  mentions  here  that  she  was 
in  Boston.  Listen,  mother!" 

"  Oh,  let  us  all  hear  it,"  urged  Margaret.  "  I 
know  Mrs.  Erveng,  and  like  her  immensely,  too. 
And  I  '11  know  her  better  by  and  by.  Read  it 
out,  Francie  —  eh,  mother?  We  don't  mind 
Basil ;  he  is  our  cousin,  and  no  better  off  in  worldly 
goods  than  we  are  ourselves."  Since  her  engage- 
ment Margaret  sometimes  assumed  a  little  conse- 
quential air  that  was  rather  exasperating  to  the 
family,  and  that  now  brought  a  broad  smile  to 
Basil  Fabrey's  lips. 


AN  ACQUISITION  AND  A  LOSS  141 

"  Oh,  don't  mind  me  in  the  least ;  sail  right 
ahead  with  the  letter.  I  'd  like  nothing  better 
than  to  listen,"  he  declared. 

Ursula  asked  laughingly,  "How  old  are  you, 
Miss  Mamie  ?  you  talk  like  a  grandmother ; "  and 
Judith  hastily  whispered  to  her  twin,  "  Would  n't 
you  believe  we  were  all  about  so  big?"  holding 
her  finger  and  thumb  about  an  inch  apart. 

At  a  nod  from  her  mother,  and  with  a  little  pre- 
liminary flourish  of,  "  Now,  ladies  and  gentlemen 
(Count  Ito,  your  humble  servant !),  lend  me  your 
ears,"  Frances  read  Betty  Erveng's  letter  aloud :  — 

MY  DEAR  Miss  JEFFREY,  —  My  brother  Jack 
tells  me  you  are  willing  to  give  me  some  lessons  in 
the  gentle  art  of  making  a  room  look  homelike 
and  pretty.  I  am  sadly  in  need  of  such  know- 
ledge, and  shall  be  delighted  to  be  taught,  though 
I  must  warn  you  that  you  will  have  a  fearfully 
and  wonderfully  stupid  pupil  to  deal  with.  I  felt 
I  ought  to  say  this,  but  I  hope  it  will  not  frighten 
you.  I  promise  you  '  I  '11  surely  be  good.'  That 
is  what  my  small  son  says,  in  all  honesty,  but  the 
temptations  of  the  world  sometimes  upset  the  little 
man's  resolutions.  Let  us  hope  that  his  mother 
may  do  better !  Could  you  come  to  me  to-morrow 
morning  about  ten  ?  Then  we  might  pull  the  fur- 
niture to  pieces  and  be  able  to  put  it  together 
again  with  less  danger  of  interruption  than  there 
would  be  later  in  the  day.  I  intended  to  write  to 
you  weeks  ago  in  regard  to  this  matter,  but  have 
been  making  a  rather  long  visit  in  Boston,  with 


142  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

the  children,  returning  home  only  a  few  days  ago. 
Hoping  to  see  you  to-morrow, 
Yours  cordially, 

ELIZABETH  ROSE  ERVENG. 

"  Now,  is  n't  that  nice  and  friendly  ?  "  finished 
Francie,  almost  in  the  same  breath  in  which  she 
had  read  the  letter.  "  Mother,  I  '11  go  to-morrow, 
may  n't  I?" 

"  She  is  almost  the  very  nicest  member  of  a  very 
fine  family,"  remarked  Margaret,  still  somewhat 
superior. 

"  Oh,  I  like  Jack  Rose  ! "  asserted  Mrs.  Jeffrey, 
and  Judith  and  Frances,  almost  as  if  some  one 
had  maligned  their  favorite. 

"  So  do  I  —  and  Paul  Rose,  too,"  said  Ursula, 
bending  over  the  count's  silky  ears. 

Paul  and  Alan  had  made  their  first  visit  to  the 
Jeffreys  under  Jack's  leadership,  and  had  called 
several  times  since  then,  together  and  alone. 

"  Well,  I  think  he  is  conceited  ;  and  he  makes 
fun  of  people,"  objected  Margaret. 

"  No,  he  does  n't  make  fun  of  people  —  At  least, 
I  'm  sure  he  never  has  of  us,"  declared  Ruth,  with 
such  emphasis  that  everybody  laughed,  much  to 
Rufie's  surprise. 

"  They  're  all  wonderful  creatures,  those  Roses 
—  perfectly  wonderful  —  that  should  be  put  in  a 
glass  case !  Little  tin  gods  on  wheels  !  "  Basil's 
tone  was  not  pleasant.  He  stood  up,  shook  down 
the  creases  in  his  trousers,  and  ivm-hcd  for  his  hat. 
"  Well,  I  'in  off,"  he  remarked  brusquely. 


AN  ACQUISITION  AND  A  LOSS  143 

"  No  —  can't  stay  to  tea  to-night,  cousin  Etta. 
Good-by,  all !  "  He  waved  his  hat  carelessly  to  the 
group  in  the  dining-room;  then  turned  back  in 
the  doorway  and  paused.  "  Good-by,  Judith !  " 
he  said  pointedly. 

"  Good-by !  "  she  returned  coolly,  hunting  in  her 
mother's  work-basket  for  something  she  did  not 
need,  and  with  averted  head,  to  hide  a  smile. 


CHAPTER  IX 
GIVING   LESSONS 

IT  was  with  cold  hands  and  a  fast  beating  heart 
that  Frances  Jeffrey  sat  in  Mrs.  Erveng's  drawing- 
room,  waiting  for  the  mistress  of  the  house.  Now 
that  the  longed-for  opportunity  had  come,  the 
"  youngest's  "  courage  began  to  desert  her.  Later 
in  the  day,  giving  the  family  a  vivid  and  (save  for 
one  incident)  detailed  account  of  her  visit,  she  said, 
"  When  I  saw  that  room,  I  felt  as  the  Queen  of 
Sheba  did  when  she  came  to  Solomon  and  beheld 
all  his  greatness  and  wealth !  There  was  no  more 
spirit  in  me  !  " 

As  Francie's  eyes  roamed  around  the  pretty 
room  in  which  she  sat,  her  opinion  of  her  own 
ability  fell  lower  and  lower.  "  The  conceit  of  my 
coming  here  to  teach  her  anything  when  she  can 
make  a  place  look  like  this !  I  '11  soon  get  taken 
down  —  and  I  deserve  it ! "  she  thought  in  self- 
abasement,  and  was  even  contemplating  sneaking 
out  of  the  house  and  away,  when  there  came  the 
tap  —  tap  of  boot-heels  descending  the  polished 
stairs  and  along  the  hall,  and  Mrs.  Erveng  en- 
tered. 

For  all  that  she  had  been  married  several  years 
and  had  two  children  upstairs  in  the  nursery,  Betty 


GIVING  LESSONS  145 

Rose  —  beg  pardon !  Betty  Erveng  —  still  looked 
a  veritable  girl.  The  responsibilities  of  wifehood 
and  motherhood  had  softened  her  brusqueness  and 
enlarged  her  sympathies,  while  still  leaving  her  the 
originality  and  good  spirits  that  had  always  made 
her  what  her  brother  Jack  and  many  others  con- 
sidered as  "  splendid  company  "  ! 

"  Good-morning  ;  I  am  so  glad  you  could  come ! " 
Betty  said,  such  cordiality  in  her  voice  and  manner 
that  her  visitor's  shyness  vanished  almost  before 
they  were  seated  on  a  lounge  together. 

But  Frances  had  something  to  say,  too.  "  Mrs. 
Erveng,  I  feel  as  if  I  had  come  here  under  false 
pretenses  —  and  was  a  perfect  fraud !  "  she  hastily 
declared,  growing  very  rosy  over  the  confession. 
"  Perhaps  you  think  I  have  wonderful  taste  in  — 
in  —  arranging  a  room  —  I  don't  see  how  I  ever 
could  have  talked  so  conceitedly  to  Mr.  Rose !  I 
feel  I  should  tell  you  that  I  could  not,  I  really 
could  tit,  contrive  anything  half  so  pretty  as  this," 
with  a  little  wave  of  her  hand,  and  a  despairing 
glance  around  the  drawing-room. 

Betty  threw  back  her  head  and  laughed  —  such 
a  contagious  laugh  that  Francie's  lips,  too,  began 
to  widen  before  she  at  all  realized  what  she  was 
smiling  at. 

"  Did  you  imagine  that  /  arranged  this  room  ?  " 
Betty  asked.  "  Why,  I  could  n't  have  made  it 
look  as  it  does  to  save  my  life !  This  is  my  sister 
Nora's  work  —  Mrs.  Whitcombe.  She  has  the 
most  exquisite  taste  in  such  matters,  and  I  have 
absolutely  none.  No,  really,  that  is  true,  as  you 


146  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

will  soon  find  out  for  yourself.  All  the  same,  I  'ra 
continually  changing  the  furniture  all  over  the 
house.  One  does  get  so  tired  of  seeing  the  same 
chairs  and  tables  and  things  always  in  the  same 
places.  Don't  you  think  so?  And  I  can't  keep 
bothering  my  sister  to  help  me  tear  my  house  to 
pieces  and  put  it  together  again  every  week.  So 
I  thought,  from  what  my  brother  mentioned,  that 
perhaps  you  would  take  pity  on  a  fellow  creature 
less  gifted  than  yourself,  and  give  me  some  lessons. 
Some  to-day,  some  others  next  week,  and  the  next 
week,  and  so  on,  —  whenever  the  fever  for  a  change 
of  furniture  should  take  hold  of  me.  Will  you  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  should  be  very  glad  to,  if  —  if  —  you 
think  I  could,"  Frances  said  doubtfully. 

"I  am  quite  sure  you  could,"  asserted  Betty 
confidently.  "  Has  n't  my  brother  told  me  of 
your  pretty  and  cosy  rooms,  your  planning  and 
handiwork !  Jack  has  often  spoken  to  me  of  you 
and  your  sisters,  Miss  Jeffrey."  Betty's  friend- 
liness won  the  last  bit  of  Francie's  heart  that 
had  not,  with  girlish  impetuosity,  already  been 
bestowed  upon  her. 

"He  is  my  favorite  brother,"  went  on  Betty, 
"and,  of  course,  I  feel  a  great  interest  in  his 
friends  and  work.  I  know  all  about  Miss  Ursula's 
writing  —  I  always  read  her  stories  in  the  Leader ; 
and  about  Miss  Judith,  and  your  uncle  —  all 
the  family,  in  fact.  And  I  have  met  your  eldest 
sister  a  number  of  times  ;  I  mean  the  one  who  is 
engaged  to  Mr.  Austin.  How  handsome  she  is  I 
So  I  don't  at  all  feel  as  if  we  were  strangers.  I 


GIVING  LESSONS  147 

hope  you  '11  not  feel  so,  either.  Now,  won't  you 
come  upstairs  with  me,  and  take  off  your  things  ? 
I  am  getting  the  children  ready  to  go  out  for  their 
morning  walk  and  play  in  the  park.  After  that 
we  can  attack  the  furniture." 

The  Ervengs'  nursery  was  a  large  bright  room, 
in  which  wide  spaces  of  the  wall  were  allowed  to 
appear  between  the  disposition  of  the  simple  furni- 
ture. These  spaces  were  covered  with  pictures  of 
all  shapes  and  sizes,  unframed,  and  most  of  them 
pasted  or  glued  on  to  the  walls,  low  enough  to  the 
floor  to  be  on  a  level  with  the  vision  of  a  small 
child.  Some  of  the  pictures  were  in  bright  colors, 
others  in  black  and  white,  and  the  subjects  were 
varied.  Not  all  of  childish  subjects  were  they, 
but  all  interesting,  and  in  a  way,  in  themselves,  an 
education  for  the  little  folk  whose  room  they  orna- 
mented. The  "  Boy  Christ  in  the  Temple  "  had 
a  place  among  them,  and  there  were  prints  of 
Schenk's  pathetic  "  Sheep  lost  in  a  Snow-Storm," 
of  Rosa  Bonheur's  "  Lion  and  Cubs,"  and  of  what 
Betty's  little  son  persisted  in  calling  "  '  T'umpets 
an'  'Ingin'  Boys  "  —  Delia  Robbia's  "  Trum- 
peters "  and  his  "  Singing  Boys." 

The  same  young  gentleman  was  now  astride  a 
stick  and  careering  wildly  around  the  apartment, 
with  his  nurse  in  hot  pursuit.  The  chase,  however, 
came  to  a  sudden  stop  at  the  entrance  of  Mrs. 
Erveng  and  Frances. 

"  Why,  Milliard !  what  does  this  mean  ?  "  de- 
manded Betty. 

"  He  's  tore  the  lion  off  the  wall,  ma'am,"  ex- 


148  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

plained  the  nurse,  panting  with  her  exertions ; 
while  the  unabashed  offender  threw  his  heels  and 
the  end  of  the  cane  up  into  the  air,  and  waved  the 
picture. 

"  Him  was  tummin'  off,  muwer,  I  on'y  helped 
him  a  'ittle  bit,"  he  protested. 

"  Instead  of  pulling  the  lion  off,  you  might  have 
got  Ann  to  paste  it  on  properly,"  Betty  informed 
her  son. 

The  wee  man's  eyes  danced  with  mischief,  a  row 
of  small  even  white  teeth  came  to  view  in  a  broad 
smile.  "But  I  jus'  fraught  he'd  like  to  live  an- 
uver  place,  muvver —  he 's  been  so  long  over  there," 
he  urged,  in  excuse. 

Mother  and  son  looked  at  one  another  for  a 
minute  or  two,  and  then  laughed  aloud.  There 
was  perfect  understanding  between  them.  "Oh, 
you  humbug  !  "  cried  Betty.  Catching  up  her  son, 
she  tossed  him  high  in  the  air,  until  his  blouse 
skirts  and  his  yellow  curls  flew  out  around  him, 
to  his  infinite  enjoyment.  "  Now,  sir,  march  off 
and  get  the  paste,  and  we  '11  put  the  poor  lioness 
and  her  cubs  right  where  they  belong ! "  she  or- 
dered, when  the  small  boy  was  once  more  on  his 
feet.  "  Some  other  day,  if  you  remind  me,  we  can 
change  the  pictures,  and  find  another  place  for 
Mrs.  Lion,  but  not  to-day.  I  want  to  get  you  and 
Alice  off  for  your  walk.  Now,  hurry  with  the 
paste." 

"  This  is  one  of  my  theories,"  Betty  told  Fran- 
ces, with  a  wave  of  her  hand  toward  the  pictures, 

and,"    laughingly,    "that    small    son    of    mine 


.. 


GIVING  LESSONS  149 

has  been  the  victim  of  all  my  theories,  and  yet  is 
a  pretty  good-looking  specimen,  is  n't  he  ? "  gaz- 
ing with  pride  at  the  little  fellow's  straight  active 
body,  his  fine  color,  bright  eyes,  and  yellow  curls. 
"  I  can  throw  Liard  up  to  the  ceiling,  double  him 
up,  stand  him  on  his  head  —  anything !  He  en- 
joys it,  thrives  on  what  one  of  his  aunts  desig- 
nates as  his  mother's  '  roughness  ' !  But  I  can't 
do  that  with  my  little  daughter.  She  is  too  shy  and 
timid  —  nervous,  and  so  fragile  that  sometimes 
I  hardly  know  how  to  treat  her.  I  get  so  afraid 
that  —  that  I  may  not  always  have  her !  Those 
great  solemn  eyes  of  hers  frighten  me  !  She  should 
have  been  Nannie's  child.  Oh,  Miss  Jeffrey," 
with  enthusiasm,  "  I  have  the  dearest,  best  elder 
sister  that  was  ever  put  into  the  world !  Perhaps 
you  have  heard  Jack  speak  of  her  —  Mrs.  Maxwell 
Derwent.  I  never,  never  could  have  brought  up 
these  children,  even  so  far  as  they  've  gone,  with- 
out her  help.  I  want  you  to  meet  her  some  day." 

"  Come,  sweetheart !  "  Betty  held  out  her  hands 
to  the  delicate  little  creature  who  was  hanging  on 
to  her  nurse's  skirts.  "  Come  to  mother,  and 
we  '11  go  help  Liard  to  put  Mrs.  Lion  and  her 
babies  back  on  the  wall.  Come,  Miss  Jeffrey, 
won't  you,  and  witness  the  performance." 

Sitting  on  the  floor,  her  little  daughter  in  her 
lap,  Betty  directed  her  sturdy  young  son  in  the 
pasting  and  proper  adjusting  of  the  lion  and  her 
cubs.  The  boy  was  full  of  talk  and  laughter, 
bubbling  over  with  fun  and  good  spirits.  But  the 
little  sister  sat  in  solemn  silence,  shrinking  back 


150  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

and  hiding  her  face  in  her  mother's  shoulder,  when, 
in  an  access  of  brotherly  affection,  Liard  offered 
to  let  her  paste  "  Mrs.  Lion's  "  head  on.  Then 
hats  and  coats  were  donned  and  the  little  folk  dis- 
patched for  the  morning's  play  in  the  neighboring 
park. 

"  Now,  Miss  Jeffrey,  suppose  we  begin  our  les- 
son," Betty  suggested,  leading  the  way  to  her  sit- 
ting-room. "  There !  I  fancy  you  will  not  fall  in 
love  with  this  arrangement ;  I  had  the  ordering  of 
it,"  she  said,  laughing.  "  Room  for  improvement, 
isn't  there?" 

"  Well  —  I  think,  perhaps,  we  might  put  the 
lounge  and  that  beautiful  piece  of  statuary  so  — 
and  so,"  Frances  returned  hesitatingly,  and  in- 
dicating with  motions  the  positions  to  which  she 
referred. 

Betty  laid  a  hand  on  her  visitor's  arm.  "  The 
whole  arrangement  shows  want  of  taste,"  she  de- 
clared, "  only  you  are  too  polite  to  say  so.  Now  I 
am  going  to  ask  you  always  to  be  honest  —  perfectly 
frank  —  with  me.  I  prefer  that,  even  if  it  should 
hurt  my  vanity.  The  arrangement  of  this  room  is 
entirely  my  own  ;  is  it  hopeless  ?  " 

"  No,  indeed !  "  cried  Frances  eagerly.  "  It  — 
it  is  n't  quite  as  artistic  as  might  be,  perhaps ;  but 
it  is  far  from  being  commonplace.  By  pulling  the 
lounge  this  way,"  suiting  the  action  to  the  word, 
"  and  changing  the  other  things  about  a  little,  the 
room  would  be  veiy  pretty.  That  wide  windowed 
front  and  the  corner  seats  are  odd." 

"  My  husband  and  I  are  very  fond  of  this  old 


GIVING  LESSONS  151 

house,"  Betty  said,  with  a  demure  reminiscent 
smile.  In  the  room  directly  under  the  one  in 
which  she  and  Frances  then  stood,  Betty  had  once, 
with  her  brother  Phil's  unasked  assistance,  under- 
taken to  engage  Mr.  Erveng,  senior,  as  a  publisher 
for  her  father's  long  delayed  scientific  work,  so 
called  the  "  Fetich."  "  Now  if  you  will  give  me 
your  ideas  and  let  me  make  the  changes  ?  "  Betty 
asked.  "  I  can  always  get  so  much  clearer  an 
understanding  of  anything  like  this  by  actually 
working  it  out  myself.  And  should  any  piece  of 
furniture  prove  too  heavy  for  our  strength,  I  '11  call 
in  our  Figaro  —  our  factotum  —  our  man  of  all 
work.  His  name  is  Peter,  but  he  is  such  a  fat 
fussy  little  creature  that  I  think  Figaro  suits  him 
best,  so  I  call  him  that.  Now,  where  shall  we 
begin?" 

There  was  nothing  that  Francie  so  enjoyed  — 
beside  singing  —  as  changing  or  arranging  the 
furnishings  of  a  room.  And  now  she  threw  her- 
self into  this  favorite  occupation  with  a  zest  and 
interest  that  infected  Betty,  and  caused  that 
young  matron,  as  she  expressed  it,  to  "evolve 
ideas,  so  brilliant  as  to  astonish  herself!  "  They 
pulled  lounges  all  over  the  room  until  precisely 
the  right  location  for  them  was  found  ;  discovered 
new  positions  for  chairs,  tables,  book-shelves, 
piano ;  changed  the  pictures  and  bric-a-brac,  and, 
altogether,  thoroughly  enjoyed  themselves. 

It  was  near  the  end  of  the  morning's  work,  the 
finishing  touches  were  being  given,  Betty  filling  a 
vase  with  roses,  Frances  on  a  step-ladder  putting 


152  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

the  last  picture  into  place,  when  two  visitors  canie 
in,  unexpected  and  unannounced. 

"  What  a  happy  transformation ! "  cried  the 
foremost  one  —  a  sweet-faced,  gentle- voiced  woman, 
with  brown  eyes  and  light  brown  hair. 

"  Oh,  Nan  !  you  dear  thing !  "  cried  out  Betty, 
dropping  the  roses  and  rushing  forward  to  welcome 
her.  "You've  come  to  lunch,  of  course.  And 
Jack!  Well,  this  is  nice,  to  have  you  both. 
Miss  Jeffrey,"  to  Frances,  perched  at  the  top  of 
the  step-ladder,  "  this  is  my  sister,  Mrs.  Maxwell 
Derwent.  I  think  you  are  already  acquainted  with 
this  young  man." 

"  Yes,"  Jack  answered  for  Francie,  "  Miss  Fran- 
ces and  I  are  old  friends."  Then,  as  the  two  sisters 
disappeared  into  the  next  room  for  Nannie  to  take 
off  her  "  things,"  Jack  went  to  the  foot  of  the  step- 
ladder  and  looked  up  at  Francie,  an  unmistakable 
expression  of  content  in  his  quiet  honest  face. 
"  I  am  so  glad  to  find  you  here,"  he  said.  "  I 
hope  you  two,"  with  a  little  jerk  of  his  head  in  the 
direction  Betty  had  taken,  "  like  one  another." 

"  Oh,  I  think  she  is  charming ! "  Frances  de- 
clared enthusiastically.  "  I  've  had  a  beautiful 
morning !  And  it 's  all  due  to  your  kindness." 

It  was  Jack's  opinion  that  she,  herself,  was  very 
charming  as  she  sat  there  looking  down  upon  him 
with  such  happy  brilliant  eyes,  and  the  corners  of 
her  mouth  curving  merrily  upward.  From  Betty's 
laughing  introduction,  her  friendly  nod  at  Frances, 
he  knew  that  the  liking  between  the  two  girls  was 
mutual,  and  this  gave  him  peculiar  satisfaction. 


GIVING  LESSONS  153 

He  had  some  time  ago  decided  that  he  wanted 
these  two  to  be  good  friends. 

"  Seems  to  me  the  kindness  is  on  your  side ;  you 
have  worked  wonders  in  this  room,"  he  said,  glan- 
cing around  him.  "  Let  me  help  you  down.  Have 
you  looked  at  these  etchings  ?  My  brother-in-law 
prides  himself  on  their  excellence." 

In  chatting  and  looking  over  the  etchings,  the 
few  minutes  of  Betty's  absence  from  the  room 
passed  very  quickly,  and,  to  one  at  least,  very 
pleasantly. 

"  I  wish  you  had  brought  baby  Max.  He  is 
such  a  jolly  little  King  Cole,"  Betty  was  saying  as 
she  and  Nannie  returned. 

"  My  dear,  I  have  brought  Felix,  John,  and 
Margaret ;  I  think  you  will  find  them  enough  with 
your  two,"  laughed  Mrs.  Derwent. 

"  I  can't  accustom  myself  to  calling  that  small 
chap  anything  but  '  Son  ; '  the  name  seems  to  be- 
long to  him,"  remarked  Jack. 

"  That  is  the  result  of  allowing  a  nickname ; 
it  is  so  difficult  to  drop.  How  many  of  our  inti- 
mate friends,  do  you  suppose,  ever  remember  that 
Madel's  name  is  Valentine  ?  "  Nannie  said.  "  You 
must  know,  Miss  Jeffrey,"  she  explained  to  Fran- 
ces, "  that  there  are  only  four  in  our  family  by  the 
name  of  Felix.  My  twin  brother,  Felix  Rose,  whom 
we  commonly  call  Fee,' "  —  the  old-time  tender- 
ness came  again  into  Nan's  voice  as  she  spoke  of 
her  dearly  loved  "  twinnie,"  —  "  then  his  son,  small 
Felix,  whom  his  uncle  Phil  has  dubbed  '  Feefo,' 
and  the  funny  name  sticks.  Number  three  is  our 


154  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

brother  Phil's  —  our  eldest  brother's  —  eldest  son  ; 
he  is  another  Felix.  But  as  he  lives  with  his 
parents  in  Chicago,  he  does  not  add  to  the  confu- 
sion of  names  here.  My  sturdy  eldest  boy  is  also 
Felix.  I  mention  him  last,  but  he  was  really  the 
first  to  be  named  for  his  uncle."  Nan  said  this 
with  a  little  unconscious  pride  that  made  Betty 
smile.  "  When  a  baby,  we  got  into  the  habit  of 
calling  him  '  Son ; '  but  now,  as  he  grows  older, 
I  think  we  should  drop  that,"  went  on  Nan.  "  I 
have  some  faith  in  the  influence  of  names,  and  I 
want  both  —  all  —  my  sons  to  live  up  to  those  they 
bear,  to  walk  uprightly,  as  do  those  of  the  same 
name  who  are  preceding  them.  My  second  son  is 
the  namesake  of  his  grandfather,  my  father,  and  of 
his  uncle  Jack ;  my  youngest  son  of  his  father." 

"  My  eldest  hope  unites  in  his  small  person  his 
father's  name  and  his  mother's  lungs  ;  do  hear 
those  gentle  yells  !  "  remarked  Betty,  as  a  succes- 
sion of  lusty  shouts  arose  from  the  narrow  walk 
beneath  the  window,  which  ran  from  the  high  iron 
gates  that  inclosed  the  Ervengs'  front  yard  to  the 
low  piazza  of  the  house. 

"  Muvver  !  Muvver !  —  comin' !  "  was  all  that 
could  be  distinguished. 

"  We  '11  hear  the  whole  story  in  a  few  minutes  ; 
they  are  on  the  way  up,"  Betty  observed  pla- 
cidly. Then  as,  for  the  first  time,  her  eyes  fell 
upon  Jack's  head,  "  Jack  Rose !  your  hair  is  a 
sight !  "  she  exclaimed.  "  It  is  standing  up  in  the 
wildest  fashion!  What  have  you  been  doing, 
writing  or  worrying,  or  both  ?  That  is  one  of  the 


GIVING  LESSONS  155 

eccentricities  of  genius,  Miss  Jeffrey  "  —  Betty 
never  could  resist  a  joke  at  Jack's  expense  —  "  of 
this  genius,  at  any  rate.  Whenever  he  begins  to 
think  very  hard,  or  to  worry  about  anything  — 
he  can  do  that,  too  —  Jack's  hands  go  at  his  hair, 
with  this  result."  She  pulled  her  reluctant  brother 
around  for  Frances  to  have  a  good  view  of  him. 

"  Betty !  "  exclaimed  the  elder  sister,  but  laugh- 
ing; and  "Oh,  come  now,  Betty!"  remonstrated 
Jack,  in  a  ruffled  tone.  He  got  very  red,  and 
threw  a  deprecatory  glance  at  Frances,  while 
hastily  trying,  with  both  hands,  to  flatten  down 
his  refractory  locks. 

But  Francie's  sharp  eyes  had  noticed  the  condi- 
tion of  Jack's  hair  when  first  he  entered  the  room, 
and  she  had  had  her  laugh  then.  Ursula's  de- 
scription of  this  peculiarity  of  the  young  editor  had 
prepared  her  for  it,  and  now,  with  a  swift  glance 
that  in  some  mysterious  way  conveyed  to  Jack  the 
assurance  of  her  sympathy,  she  said,  "  Don't  you 
think  that  all  people  who  write  —  you  know, 
literary  folk  —  have  some  such  little  peculiarity? 
I  know  uncle  Gabriel  always  gets  his  cap  away 
over  on  one  ear  when  he  is  writing  editorials. 
And  Ursula  likes  to  hold  her  chin  with  one  hand 
while  she  writes  with  the  other." 

"  Here  come  the  children !  "  cried  Betty,  as  the 
door  flew  open. 

So  it  was,  and  with  them  a  tall  lady,  very  beau- 
tiful, very  stately,  and  slow  and  languid  of  manner 
—  haughty,  some  might  have  called  her. 

"  Aun'  Nonie !  "  announced  Liard  and  the  two 


156  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

sturdy  handsome  boys  who  followed  at  his  elbow, 
in  one  big  voice.  Nannie's  small  daughter,  Mar- 
garet, brought  up  the  rear  of  the  procession,  with 
a  protecting  arm  thrown  around  her  shy  little 
cousin  Alice. 

"  I  called  to  see  you,  Nan,  and  hearing  that  you 
were  here,  came  down.  I  thought  we  could  all  visit 
together,"  explained  Nora,  sinking  into  a  chair, 
"  Oh  dear  !  "  putting  a  hand  quickly  to  her  ear  as 
the  boys  gave  an  unexpected  whoop  of  joy  over 
some  new  possession  —  Nora  had  no  children. 

"  I  'm  delighted  to  have  you,  Nonie,"  cried  Betty. 
*'  Three  of  the  family  —  why,  this  is  my  red-letter 
day!  Now  you  chat  with  Nan  while  I  give  an 
order.  I  '11  be  back  in  a  minute  or  two."  As  she 
went  by  Nannie,  Betty  could  not  resist  the  rapid 
whisper :  "  Do  see  Nonie's  eyes  open  !  She  is 
wondering  how  /  ever  arranged  this  room  !  " 

"  Miss  Jeffrey  !  —  oh,  no,  I  can't  let  you  go," 
she  said  quickly  to  Francie,  who  had  followed  her 
out  into  the  hall.  "  Now,  please  stay  and  have  some 
lunch  with  us.  Oh,  but  you  must  really.  I've 
just  thought  of  something!  Help  me  put  some 
dainty  touches  to  the  lunch-table,  won't  you  ?  Mrs. 
Whitcombe's  table  always  puts  mine  to  shame ; 
now,  help  me  give  her  a  surprise !  Here  are 
flowers  left  from  the  sitting-room  vase.  And  in 
this  cabinet  are  china  and  glass,  Hester  will  show 
you.  And  do  just  as  you  would  in  your  own  home. 
Yes,  Jack,  yes;  I'm  coming.  Excuse  me,  Miss 
Jeffrey ! " 

Leaving   Frances,   Betty,   in   response   to    her 


GIVING  LESSONS  157 

brother's  call,  went  hurriedly  into  the  next  apart- 
ment, which  was  separated  from  the  dining-room 
by  heavy  portieres  closely  drawn. 

"  What  a  pretty  home  ;  and  how  happy  they  all 
seem  to  be !  "  thought  Frances,  as  she  gave  some 
loving  extra  touches  to  a  bunch  of  roses  and  deli- 
cate fairy  ferns.  The  table  was  ready,  and  looked 
so  pretty  that  the  young  person  whose  good  taste 
and  deft  hands  had  worked  the  magic  began  to 
sing  softly  to  herself.  "  How  I  wish  mother  and 
the  girls  could  see  this  !  "  she  said,  and  again  fell 
to  humming  her  tune,  until  she  glanced  at  the 
"  grandfather's  "  clock  which  ticked  at  one  end  of 
the  room.  "  It 's  late  ;  ought  I  to  tell  the  maid  to 
announce  luncheon  ?  "  she  thought  uneasily ;  "  I 
wonder  where  Mrs.  Erveng  is?"  And  just  then 
she  heard  Betty's  voice  ;  it  came  from  the  other 
side  of  the  portiere. 

"  Paul  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  himself  to  make 
us  all  this  trouble !  "  she  was  saying,  and  most 
emphatically.  "  Nannie  or  Felix  should  give  him 
a  good  talking  to !  " 

"  You  know  he  won't  listen  to  Fee,"  came  in 
troubled  tones  from  Jack,  "  and  Nan  is  too  anxious 
about  Max  " 

With  fingers  in  her  ears  Francie  ran  out  of 
the  room,  into  a  little  hall  which  led  off  from  the 
dining-room,  and  at  the  end  of  which  was  a  window 
overlooking  the  yard. 

Here  Betty  found  her,  a  little  later.  "  Why ! 
I  've  been  looking  for  you,"  she  said.  "  I  thought 
you  were  in  the  dining-room." 


158  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

"  I  was,"  Frances  explained,  blushing  hotly, 
"  until  —  I  —  heard  you  and  your  brother  —  talk- 
ing. Then  I  came  away  as  quickly  as  I  could." 

"  About  Paul !  "  cried  Betty.  "  What  did  you 
hear  ?  "  Then,  when  Frances  had  told  her,  "  Well, 
I  would  n't  tell  every  one,  but  I  will  you ;  as 
long  as  you  heard  that,  you  should  hear  the  rest. 
Oh,  indeed,"  hastily,  "  I  know  't  was  my  fault 
for  speaking  so  loud,"  as  Francie  began  a  pro- 
test. "  And  I  really  do  not  mind  your  knowing 
it  at  all.  Jack  tells  me  that  Judge  —  my  brother 
Paul  —  visits  at  your  house,  so  perhaps  you  ought 
to  know.  I  think  that  Jack  is  the  cleverest  — 
with  Felix  —  of  the  Rose  boys,  and  he  is  the 
most  faithful,  unselfish  creature !  But  the  rest  of 
the  family,  and  a  good  many  other  persons,  too, 
think  there  never  was  such  a  brilliant,  clever 
young  man  as  Paul.  He  has  heard  that  ever  since 
he  was  a  little  chap,  and  it  has  just  spoiled  him. 
He  won't  study ;  he  thinks  he  can  make  up  by  a 
spurt  at  the  last,  and  that 's  dangerous,  you  know  ; 
he  might  get  plucked.  Paul  is  a  great  favorite  with 
certain  of  his  classmates  and — well,  that  makes 
him  spend  more  money  than  he  has  any  right 
to.  And  Jack  and  I  are  afraid  he  is  in  with 
a  pretty  dissipated  set.  They  keep  late  hours ; 
Paul  is  out  night  after  night,  though  papa  does  n't 
know  of  it.  He  will  not  let  one  of  us  offer  a  word 
of  remonstrance.  Even  Felix  he  won't  listen  to. 
And  the  last  time  Nan  spoke  to  him  about  his  be- 
havior, Paul  got  very  angry  —  would  n't  go  near 
her  for  weeks !  Nannie,  mind  you,  who  has  been 


GIVING  LESSONS  159 

almost  a  mother  to  him !  I  feel  dreadfully  mean 
to  have  told  you  all  this  about  Judge,  though  it 
is  every  word  true,"  Betty  cried  out,  the  color  com- 
ing into  her  face.  "  I  hate  people  that  talk  against 
their  own  flesh  and  blood,  and  I  would  n't  have 
done  it  now  except  for  my  having  a  feeling  that 
perhaps  you  might,  in  some  way  or  other,  be 
able  to  help  us  with  Paul.  Still,  I  should  n't  have 
burdened  you  with  our  family  troubles.  Please 
don't  mention  what  I  have  told  you  to  any  one  !  " 

Frances  had  listened  with  the  deepest  interest. 
"  Oh,  may  n't  I  tell  Ursula?"  she  asked  eagerly, 
"  only  Ursula.  She  knows  your  brother  Paul ; 
she  thinks  he  is  very  clever.  When  he  comes  to 
the  house  they  talk  together  a  good  deal  —  about 
books,  you  know.  And  the  other  afternoon  he 
met  her  near  the  office  and  walked  home  with  her. 
Ursa  has  such  a  nice  way  of  saying  things ; 
she  might  be  able  to  say  something  "  —  Francie 
stopped,  embarrassed,  coloring  vividly. 

"  Ursula  ?  Ursula  ?  Who  said  something  to  me 
lately  about  your  sister  Ursula?"  Betty  asked 
herself  thoughtfully.  "  I  don't  mean  about  her 
stories  —  that  was  Jack.  I  do  believe,"  slowly,  in 
a  tone  of  conviction,  "  that  it  was  —  Paul.  It  was  ! 
Yes,  Miss  Jeffrey,  tell  your  sister  Ursula.  But  no 
one  else,  please !  " 

"  Indeed  I  will  tell  only  her,"  promised  Frances 
earnestly. 

"  Muvver,  I  are  hung'y,"  clamored  Betty's 
small  son,  arriving  on  the  scene,  and  recalling  his 
parent  to  her  duties  as  hostess. 


160  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

"  Are  you,  little  man  ?  Well,  I  fancy  everybody 
else  is,  too,"  she  said,  going  hastily  into  the  dining- 
room.  "  Hester,  announce  luncheon  at  once.  Come, 
Miss  Jeffrey.  And  thank  you  very  much  for  mak- 
ing such  a  success  of  the  table.  My  sister  Nora 
approves  of  all  the  changes  we  've  made  this 
morning,  which  speaks  well  for  your  taste.  She 
is  very  critical.  Ah,  here  they  all  come !  " 

Immediately  after  luncheon  Frances  took  her  de- 
parture, and  Jack  walked  part  of  the  way  home 
with  her.  He  was  kind,  and,  as  Ursula  was  fond  of 
saying,  very  "fatherly"  in  his  manner,  though  more 
silent  than  usual.  But  Frances  understood  the 
silence  —  she  knew  now  the  cause  of  that  troubled 
expression  in  Jack's  eyes,  and  while  provoked  with 
Paul,  was  yet  unconsciously  well  pleased  to  share 
Jack's  secret,  and  full  of  sympathy  for  him. 

"  1  am  very  glad  that  you  and  Betty  got  on  so 
well  together,"  he  said,  as  they  stood  for  a  few 
minutes  at  the  corner  of  a  street  for  good-by. 
"  She  tells  me  you  've  promised  to  go  to  her  again 
next  Thursday  morning.  If  I  can  arrange  my 
work  that  day  to  leave  the  office,  perhaps,"  dif- 
fidently, blushing  a  deep  red,  —  "  perhaps  I  '11  drop 
in,  to  see  what  you  two  have  done." 

Frances  nodded  gayly.  "  Yes,  come,  and  we  '11 
set  you  to  work  ;  we  '11  get  you  to  do  all  the  mov- 
ing," she  told  him  saucily.  And,  of  course,  cheered 
by  the  prospect  of  pulling  and  lifting  his  sister's 
furniture,  Jack  made  his  adieux,  and  went  away 
with  a  much  brighter  face. 

He  came  running  back  to  say  something  more. 


GIVING  LESSONS  161 

"  Oh,  I  forgot,"  he  said  hurriedly.  "  Please  tell 
your  sister  Ursula  for  me  that  if  she  '11  have  the 
manuscript  of  her  novel  all  ready  by  Monday,  I  will 
send  for  it.  I've  talked  to  my  —  a  publisher 
about  the  story,  and  he  would  like  to  see  it.  I  '11 
take  the  manuscript  to  him  myself,  if  she  will 
trust  me  with  it." 

"  Ursula's  novel !  Oh,  jolly !  splendid  !  "  cried 
out  Francie,  her  eyes  fairly  dancing  with  delight. 
"  Trust  you  —  well,  I  should  say  so !  It 's  very, 
very  kind  of  you  to  take  it  yourself !  She  will  be 
overjoyed!  "  Then  the  two  shook  hands  again  in 
another  good-by. 

As  soon  as  Ursula  was  in  the  house  that  after- 
noon, Frances  delivered  her  message ;  and  great 
was  the  family  rejoicing,  for  all  agreed  in  Rufie's 
opinion  that  the  novel  had  only  to  be  read  to  be 
at  once  accepted. 

"  Mr.  Rose  is  the  kindest  man  !  "  exclaimed  Ur- 
sula. "And  he  has  a  good  memory,  too  !  Why,  it 
is  weeks  since  I  mentioned  to  him  that  I  was  finish- 
ing my  novel,  and  I  rarely  see  him  at  the  office ; 
you  know  we  're  in  different  parts  of  the  build- 
ing. Yet  he  remembered  !  Now  that  it 's  coming 
to  test,  I  am  very  discouraged  over  my  story.  I 
feel  as  if  it  were  not  worth  any  one's  reading. 
Oh,  mother !  girls !  uncle  Gabe !  suppose  the 
publisher  won't  have  it,  after  all  the  years  of 
writing,  of  hopes,  of  fears  that  I  —  we  all  —  have 
put  into  it !  Would  n't  it  be  crushing !  I  should 
want  to  run  away  and  hide  myself  somewhere  in 
a  desert !  "  Ursula  actually  grew  pale  at  the  dis- 
mal prospect  she  had  conjured  up. 


162  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

"  Don't  cross  the  bridge  before  you  come  to  it, 
my  dear,"  advised  uncle  Gabriel.  "  You  have  put 
of  your  best  into  the  story ;  you  can't  do  more 
than  that.  Now  wait  for  the  publisher's  verdict 
as  patiently  as  you  can.  And,  above  all  things, 
don't  worry.  That  is  an  insult  to  God  our  Fa- 
ther." 

"  But  the  story  is  good  !  you  know  it  is,  Ursa !  " 
cried  the  girls  ;  and  Mrs.  Jeffrey's  arm  stole  across 
Ursula's  shoulder,  her  hand  patted  Ursula  encour- 
agingly. 

Frances  and  Ursula  shared  the  same  room,  and 
it  was  when  they  were  alone  in  it  that  night  that 
the  "youngest"  told  her  sister  about  Paul  Rose's 
shortcomings. 

To  her  wonderment  Ursula  received  the  news 
very  quietly. 

"  Why,  I  thought  you  would  've  been  so  sur- 
prised," Francie  complained.  "  You  act  almost  as 
if  you  'd  known  it  already." 

"  Well,  I  did  —  in  a  way,"  Ursula  reluctantly 
admitted ;  she  was  sitting  half  turned  away  from 
Frances,  and  spoke  over  her  shoulder.  "  I  've  seen 
quite  a  good  deal  of  Paul  lately,  he  has  walked 
up  town  with  me  a  number  of  times,"  she  said. 
"  I  encouraged  him  to  do  it,  to  get  him  out  of 
the  company  of  Harry  Legare,  one  of  our  editors, 
who  is  a  friend,  a  bad  friend,  of  Paul's.  Le- 
gare has  charge  of  the  music  and  drama  depart- 
ment of  the  Leader.  He  writes  well,  and  is  one  of 
the  finest  musicians  in  the  city,  but  a  bad  lot, 
for  all  that !  He  might  have  made  his  mark  in  the 


GIVING  LESSONS  163 

world,  but  for  his  dissipated  habits.  Every  now 
and  then  he  disappears  from  the  office,  is  gone  a 
couple  or  three  weeks,  on  a  drunken  bout,  and 
then  some  friend  of  his  does  his  work  for  him. 
Paul  is  doing  it  now,  going  to  operas,  theatres, 
concerts,  and  writing  critiques  for  the  Leader. 
He  is  doing  it  well,  too,  as  well  as  Legare  could, 
I  'm  told.  But  neither  Jack  nor  any  of  his  family 
know  this  ;  h»  will  not  tell  them." 

Ursula  turned  a  little  farther  round,  just  a 
trifle.  "  There  are  two  sides  to  the  story,  Francie, 
and  Paul  feels  that  his  family  are  not  treating  him 
well,"  she  continued.  "  He  is  above  all  things  a 
musician;  he  would  like  to  make  music  his  life 
profession.  And  he  should,  he  loves  it  so ;  he 
certainly  should.  But  his  father  will  not  hear  of 
such  a  thing ;  he  intends  Paul  to  be  a  lawyer  and 
go  into  his  brother  Felix's  office.  The  place  is  all 
made  —  ready  for  him  —  and  Felix  would  push 
him  ahead.  But  to  make  Paul  Rose  a  lawyer 
would  be  like  trying  to  put  a  square  peg  into  a 
round  hole.  He  is  a  musician,  every  fibre  of  his 
being  is  filled  with  music,  he  loves  it !  And  you 
have  heard  his  voice  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  he  has  a  beautiful  voice,"  agreed  Fran- 
ces soberly.  She  had  not  expected  Ursula  to  take 
Paul's  part.  "  But,"  she  said  presently,  returning 
to  her  charge,  "being  a  musician  needn't  make 
him  idle  in  college  and  fond  of  —  low  company." 

"  No,  it  need  n't,"  Ursula  conceded,  sadly,  it 
seemed,  to  the  sharp  ears  of  the  young  listener. 
"  But,  Francie,  not  every  one  can  bear  disappoint- 


164  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

ment  well.  Paul  likes  his  own  way,  which  in 
this  instance  I  truly  think  would  be  the  best  way 
for  him,  and  because  he  can't  have  it,  will  go  no 
other  way.  Because  he  can't  make  music  his  pro- 
fession, he  has  lost  all  interest  in  his  studies.  He 
will  not  exert  himself  to  do  credit  to  his  fine  mind, 
or  remember  the  obedience  he  owes  his  father. 
Paul  is  n't  at  all  a  bad  fellow,  Francie,  indeed  he 
is  not."  Ursula  grew  earnest.  "  He  has  someone 
traits.  But  he  has  got  in  with  a  bad  set  —  Le- 
gare's  set,  and  they  will  drag  him  down  if  -  -  if 
—  some  one  does  n't  save  him.  They  make  much 
of  him  —  those  horrid  dissipated  men  !  —  they 
flatter  Paul,  they  'd  like  to  get  entire  hold  of  him  ; 
make  money  out  of  his  musical  talent,  make  him 
as  evil  as  themselves  —  ruin  him,  in  fact.  And 
then — would  they  care  ?  But  they  shan't,  Francie; 
they  shall  not ! "  Ursula  sprang  up  suddenly, 
and  going  hurriedly  to  the  closet  which  she  and 
Frances  occupied  between  them,  stood  within  the 
door,  busying  herself  with  a  skirt  that  hung  there. 

There  was  perplexity  in  Fraucie's  eyes.  "  Then 
you  '11  say  something  to  him  -  -  if  you  get  a 
chance  ?  "  she  asked  hesitatingly. 

Ursula  wheeled  round  and  faced  her,  with 
moist  eyes  and  a  tremulous  but  smiling  mouth. 
"  Yes ;  we  '11  save  him  ;  we  certainly  will  save 
him,  if  we  can,"  she  said  warmly. 


CHAPTER  X 

AND   SO   IT   CAME 

"  RUFIE,  do  you  know  that  I  saw  Jim  Ivors  last 
evening  ?  Poor  fellow !  I  can't  say  that  he  has  im- 
proved either  in  looks  or  manners  during  the  last 
three  months,"  Judith  told  her  twin  one  after- 
noon. 

"  Oh,  did  you  ?  Where  ?  Was  Mamie  with 
you  ?  "  queried  Ruth,  all  interest  at  once. 

The  two  girls  were  sitting  together  ;  Ruth  was 
sewing,  and  Judy  had  laid  down  her  book  to  speak. 
In  the  next  room  Frances  was  singing  :  — 

"  And  the  moon  and  stars  are  saying 
To  the  dreaming  forest  near, 
'E'en  the  nightingale  is  trilling, 
'  Spring  is  coming,  Spring  is  here  1  * 
E'en  the  nightingale  "  — 

The  song  finished  abruptly,  and  the  "  youngest " 
appeared  between  the  portieres  which  divided  the 
rooms.  "  What 's  that  you  said  about  Jim  ?  "  she 
asked  eagerly. 

"  I  thought  you  were  warbling  of  Spring,"  and, 
"Well,  your  ears  are  sharp  enough  to  hear  the 
grass  grow !  "  exclaimed  the  twins. 

"  I  can't  help  hearing  things,  if  I  am  singing," 
protested  Frances.  "  And  you  two  are  not  the 
only  ones  in  the  family  that  are  interested  in  Jim. 


166  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

What  is  it  about  him  ?     Hurry  and  tell  us  before 
Marnie  gets  home." 

"It  isn't  so  very  much  to  tell,"  Judith  said. 
"You  know  last  evening  Basil  took  Marnie  and 
me  to  see  some  pictures.  And  while  we  were 
walking  through  one  of  the  galleries,  whom  should 
we  come  face  to  face  with  but  Jim  !  I  was  so  glad 
to  see  him  !  -But  he  gave  us  one  look,  then  delib- 
erately turned  his  back  and  began  talking  to  a  man 
who  stood  near  him.  I  expected  that,  at  least,  he 
would  've  bowed,  and  Basil  openly  expressed  his 
surprise  ;  you  see,  he  does  n't  know  —  everything ; 
though  he  must  have  noticed  that  Jim  never  conies 
here  any  more.  Perhaps  I  made  a  motion  to  stop 

—  I  don't  remember ;  I  was  so  confused  for  the 
minute,  —  but    Marnie  gripped   my  arm  —  't  was 
like  a  vise  —  and  fairly  pushed  me  past  Jim.    Her 
face  got  very  red,  and   her  head  went  up;    you 
know  that  proud  way  she  has.      Then    presently 
she  said  abruptly,  '  I  'm  going  to  have  another  look 
at  that  "  Portrait  of  a  Lady  "  by  Earncliffe.     I 
think  it 's  fine  I     Don't  come  until  you  're  ready,' 
and  forthwith  marched  herself  into  the  east  room 

—  one  we  had  already  been  through.     She  had  no 
sooner  gone  —  he  must  have  been  watching  —  than 
Jim  came  up  and  spoke  to  us  —  asked  after  mother 
and  you  girls  and  uncle  Gabe." 

"  And  what  else  ?  "  asked  Francie,  as  her  sister 
paused. 

"Nothing  pleasant,"  Judy  answered  soberly. 
"  Jim  looks  —  wretched  !  You  know  he  never  %\  us 
particular  or  neat,  at  his  best,  and  last  night  he 


AND  SO  IT  CAME  167 

looked  positively  unkempt.  His  hair  was  untidy, 
his  clothes  shabby,  and  the  beard  he  's  just  started 
gives  him  a  wild  gaunt  appearance.  You  remem- 
ber his  kind  merry  face  and  how  full  of  fun  he 
was  ?  "Well,  now  he  has  a  fierce  expression  in  his 
eyes  —  truly  !  All  because  he  is  so  unhappy.  He 
had  a  good  deal  to  say,  in  a  rough  excited  way, 
and  he  showed  us  his  picture,  *  Off  the  Coast  of 
Maine.'  It 's  sold,  you  know :  the  ticket  was  on  it ; 
and,  really,  it 's  the  finest  thing  he  has  ever  done. 
People  are  talking  about  the  picture,  and  there 
was  always  a  little  crowd  around  it  while  we  were 
in  the  room.  Jim  pretended  to  be  very  gay ;  he 
talked  very  fast,  and  laughed  at  nothing.  But 
that  did  n't  deceive  me  one  bit ;  the  louder  the 
poor  fellow  laughed,  the  plainer  I  saw  how  sore 
his  heart  was.  I  feel  so  sorry  for  him !  " 

"  Poor  Jim  !  "  Frances  said  softly. 

In  her  deliberate  way  Ruth  laid  her  work  in  her 
lap,  folded  her  slender  capable  hands,  and  looked 
straight  at  Judy.  "  /  think  Margaret  is  acting 
very  queerly,"  she  remarked.  "  She  would  n't 
have  Jim,  and  she  would  have  Mr.  Austin,  said 
right  out  that  she  cared  the  most  for  him  —  and 
yet  she  keeps  putting  off  the  wedding.  She  's 
done  it  twice  now.  Miss  Austin  got  quite  pro- 
voked with  her  about  it  this  morning  when  she 
called  to  take  Marnie  to  Washington  Square. 
Margaret  talks  a  lot  about  there  being  so  much  to 
be  done  before  she  could  get  married,  but  that 's 
just  nonsense !  She  is  n't  going  to  have  so  many 
clothes  —  mother  could  n't  afford  it  —  but  that  we 


168  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

could  have  everything  ready  by  the  end  of  April, 
as  Miss  Austin  wanted.  And  don't  you  think," 
Rufie  lowered  her  voice,  and  glanced  from  one  to 
the  other  of  the  girls, — "don't  you  think  Marnie  's 
changed  ?  grown  prim  and  —  er  —  proper  ?  She 
used  to  be  so  jolly  —  so  full  of  fun  —  when  Jim 
was  coming  to  see  her.  Don't  you  remember  ?  " 

"  Perhaps  she  's  cultivating  repose  of  manner,  in 
view  of  the  position  she  '11  hold  in  society  as  Mrs. 
Roger  Austin,"  suggested  Judith  slyly.  "  You  'd 
better  take  lessons  from  her,  Rufie,"  with  a  mis- 
chievous glance  at  her  stately  twin ;  "  you  know 
Marnie  has  1-a-r-g-e  plans  for  our  future.  Once 
married,  she  intends  to  take  us  in  hand  and  '  intro- 
juice '  us,  as  Captain  Costigan  would  say,  to  the 
dazzling  four  hundred,  of  which  she  will  then  be 
a  member." 

Frances  laughed,  but  Ruth  looked  blank.  "  Of 
course  Marnie  means  it  well,  but  I  don't  know 
that  I  'd  care  to  go  much  into  society,"  she  said 
seriously.  "You  know,  people  have  to  dress  so 
much,  and  we  could  n't  afford  that.  And  't  would 
be  a  perfect  nuisance  to  have  to  be  altering  one's 
gowns  all  the  while,  as  Margaret's  been  doing 
since  she 's  become  so  fashionable.  The  times  I  've 
cleaned  and  remodeled  that  yellow  waist  for  her ! 
I  could  n't  stand  doing  that  sort  of  thing  for  myself 
all  the  time.  I  suppose  she  won't  like  my  refusing, 
but  —  I  don't  see  anything  to  laugh  at  in  what 
I  've  said,  Judith,"  she  ended,  turning  on  her  sister. 
"  You  giggle  at  nothing !  " 

"  I  don't  wonder  Margaret  is  getting  stiff  and 


AND  SO  IT  CAME  109 

prim,  as  you  say,"  broke  in  the  "  youngest "  in  a 
most  mollifying  tone,  and  hastily  suppressing  a 
strong  desire  to  laugh  with  Judith.  "  It 's  the 
force  of  example  that 's  making  her  so.  Mr.  Aus- 
tin"— none  of  the  girls  called  Margaret's  intended 
husband  by  his  first  name,  —  "  nobody  is  by  to  feel 
hurt  at  my  saying  it,  is  there  ?  "  Francie  threw  a 
hurried  glance  over  her  shoulder  —  "  Mr.  Austin 
is  very  nice,  very  refined,  very  everything  that 's 
elegant,  but,  oh  !  "  clasping  her  hands,  "  oh  !  so 
utterly  wooden  —  and  proper  —  that  he  'd  subdue 
the  high  spirits  of  Count  Ito  or  any  other  irrepres- 
sible four-footed  animal,  to  say  nothing  of  a  sen- 
sitive human  being.  I  should  die  or  become  idiotic, 
if  I  had  always  to  live  with  him.  Would  n't 
Marnie  feel  dreadfully  if  she  heard  me!"  Frances 
tried  to  look  contrite. 

"  Yes,  I  know  —  I  know,"  Judy  nodded,  with 
quick  comprehension.  "  And  I  think  Marnie  does 
feel  it.  The  other  day,  after  he  'd  gone  —  he  had 
been  here  over  an  hour  —  she  came  into  our  room, 
and  positively,  she  looked  bored !  Do  you  re- 
member, Ruth  ?  you  were  there.  Marnie  put  her 
arms  up  over  her  head  and  just  yawned.  I  could  n't 
resist  it ;  I  said, '  Don't  you  want  to  do  something 
wild  as  a  relief,  scream,  or  stand  on  your  head, 
or  turn  a  somersault?'  She  got  as  red!  She 
'  caught  on,'  as  poor  Jim  used  to  say,  gave  me  a 
withering  glance,  and  sailed  out  of  the  room,  all 
offended  dignity." 

"Oh,  was  that  what  you  meant?  I  wondered 
at  your  saying  it,"  cried  Ruth. 


170  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

"  What !  only  got  it  now  ?  Well,  some  people 
have  to  have  things  hammered  into  their  heads !  " 
declared  Judy,  falling  back  in  her  chair  as  if  ex- 
hausted. 

"  I  don't  pretend  to  be  as  smart  as  you  are  —  or 
as  conceited,  either,"  retorted  Ruth  indignantly ; 
then  the  next  moment  she  almost  melted  into 
tears.  "I  should  think  you'd  be  ashamed  of 
yourself,  Judith  Jeffrey,  to  say  such  mean  unkind 
things  to  your  own  twin  sister !  /  would  never 
treat  you  in  such  a  way." 

Judy  walked  over  and  calmly  seated  herself  on 
Ruth's  lap,  put  a  finger  under  that  young  person's 
chin,  and  turned  her  face  up  into  full  view.  "  Oh, 
no,  you  poor,  innocent,  injured  lamb !  You  'd 
never  call  names  —  '  conceited  '  is  n't  anything,  I 
suppose,"  she  remarked,  shaking  a  finger  within 
an  inch  of  Rufie's  classical  nose.  "  My  poor  feel- 
ings are  of  small  account." 

"But  you  don't  care,  and  I  do,"  whispered 
Ruth,  still  inclined  to  be  tearful.  "  I  know  you  've 
more  brains  than  I,  but  I  can't  help  it ;  I  did  n't 
make  myself." 

"  Now,  Rufie !  just  stop  saying  such  silly  things ! 
You  know  very  well  you  're  twice  as  capable  as 
I  am,"  cried  the  other  girl  warmly,  wishing  she 
had  not  made  her  saucy  speech.  "  What  can  I  do 
that  you  can't  ?  —  strum  a  little  on  the  banjo  and 
visit  my  poor  people  ;  where  do  the  brains  come 
in  there,  I  'd  like  to  know  ?  Mother  always  says 
that  you  and  Francie  are  her  capable  children ; 
I  'm  afraid  you  're  fishing  for  compliments,  young 
woman." 


AND   SO   IT   CAME  171 

"  Indeed,  I  'm  not,"  earnestly  protested  the  ac- 
cused; "I'd  much  rather  be  like  you,"  which 
humble  confession  sent  Judy's  arms  around  her 
twin,  her  head  nestling  into  Rufie's  neck. 

"  Two  old  spoonies  !  "  teased  Frances.  "  Well, 
I  suppose  I  might  as  well  go  back  to  my  prac- 
ticing. Oh,  here  is  uncle  Gabe !  Your  rivir- 
ence  looks  as  pleased  as  if  you  had  good  news," 
she  declared,  dancing  up  to  the  bright-faced  little 
gentleman.  "I  know  —  I  know!"  clapping  her 
hands  softly,  her  head  on  one  side,  like  some  saucy, 
inquisitive  bird.  "  Girls,  he  's  been  called  to  the 
parish  of  Enfield.  You  've  got  your  parish,  sir, 
eh?" 

A  shadow  flitted  across  Mr.  Kincaid's  face  and 
was  quickly  gone.  "  No,  no,  you  're  mistaken ; 
another  man  is  going  to  Enfield,"  he  said  hastily. 
"  I  stopped  at  Brenton's  book-shop  on  my  way  up 
town.  A  good  many  of  the  clergy  drop  in  there, 
and  one  can  generally  get  an  idea  of  what 's  going 
on.  And  there  I  heard  that  Patterson  has  been 
called  to  Enfield." 

"  Oh,  uncle  Gabe ! "  cried  out  the  three  girls, 
deeply  disappointed. 

"  Well  —  er  —  of  course  I  'd  have  been  very 
glad  to  take  the  parish,"  observed  the  reverend 
gentleman  quickly,  and  in  rather  embarrassed 
fashion,  "  but  —  well,  really  they  might  have  done 
worse  than  get  Patterson.  He  is  a  very  fine  young 
fellow  —  very  fine !  Bright,  up-to-date  ;  and  he 
knows  how  to  preach,  too." 

Judith  had  been  eyeing  Mr.  Kincaid  intently. 


172  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

41  Uncle  Gabriel !  I  do  believe  you  ' ve  had  a  hand 
in  putting  him  there ! "  she  cried  out,  in  sudden 
suspicion. 

"  Why  —  what  makes  you  —  eh !  —  my  dears," 
stammered  the  little  man,  stepping  back ;  and  in 
embarrassment  scratching  his  head  so  violently  as 
to  send  the  skull-cap  careering  wildly  over  the 
slippery  surface  of  his  bald  pate. 

"  Now,  sir,  there  's  no  use  in  rumpling  your 
locks  and  trying  to  look  as  if  we  'd  maligned  you," 
Frances  informed  him,  saucy,  but  anxious  to  know 
the  truth.  "  You  'd  better  tell  us.  We  '11  be  sure 
to  hear  it  from  somebody  or  other,  and  why  not 
from  you,  at  first  hand  ?  " 

And  recognizing  the  force  of  her  argument,  Mr. 
Kincaid  proceeded  to  impart  the  desired  informa- 
tion. Waving  a  chair  aside,  with  hands  in  his 
pockets  he  humped  his  narrow  shoulders  com- 
fortably against  the  side  of  the  door.  "  Well," 
he  began,  "  a  few  days  after  I  'd  preached  at  St. 
Mark's,  at  Enfield,  I  met  Graves  —  you  know, 
Judy,  the  senior  warden,  who  was  so  attentive  to 
us ;  met  him  down  near  my  river  office.  He 
stopped,  and  we  chatted  awhile.  '  That  was  a  very 
fine  sermon  of  yours  last  Sunday,  doctor,'  Graves 
said,  —  he  knows  I  'm  not  a  D.  D. ;  but  he  will  call 
me  '  doctor,'  "  uncle  Gabriel  explained,  —  "  '  one 
of  the  best  sermons  we've  had.  In  fact,  there's 
only  one  other,  of  all  the  sermons  that've  been 
preached  for  us  since  our  rector  died,  that  comes 
up  to  yours.'  That  was  what  Graves  told  me. 
Very  gratifying  —  eh,  my  dears  ?  Ha !  ha !  " 


AND   SO  IT  CAME  173 

Uncle  Gabe  threw  a  bright  glance  at  his  audience, 
and  cheerfully  jingled  his  keys. 

"  I  told  you  't  was  a  good  sermon,"  Judy  re- 
minded him. 

"  Well,  then,  why "  —  questioned  Euth,  but 
paused. 

"  So  you  did,"  remarked  Mr.  Kincaid,  ignoring 
Rufie's  unfinished  sentence.  "  Graves  said  some 
other  things,  equally  complimentary.  I  really 
think  he  is  a  man  of  a  good  deal  of  discrimina- 
tion ; "  the  keys  jingled  again.  "  Just  as  we  were 
parting  he  said,  *  Oh,  by  the  way,  d'  you  know 
anything  of  the  Reverend  Arthur  Patterson? 
What  sort  of  a  man  is  he  ?  ' 

"  Oh,  the  mean,  deceitful  creature !  Oh,  the 
serpent !  "  cried  Francie  wrathfully. 

Uncle  Gabriel  regarded  her  with  surprise. 
"  Why,  Frances  !  "  he  remonstrated  ;  then  con- 
tinued, "  As  it  happened,  I  knew  several  things 
about  Patterson,  all  good.  And,  of  course,  I 
proceeded  to  tell  them.  It  was  n't  until  some  time 
after  Graves  had  left  me,  not  until  I  was  walk- 
ing up  town  in  the  afternoon,  that  it  occurred 
to  me  that  maybe  Patterson  was  the  other  man, 
whose  sermon  came  up  to  mine.  I  'm  very  glad  I 
did  n't  think  of  it  sooner,"  the  little  gentleman 
said  simply,  "  because,  though,  of  course,  I  should 
have  said  just  the  same  things  that  I  did  say,  still, 
human  nature  is  weak,  you  know,  my  dears,  and 
I  might  not  've  been  able  to  put  such  genuine 
warmth  into  my  praise  of  Patterson.  And  that 
would  've  been  an  injustice  to  him." 


174  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

"  Very  likely  what  you  said,  with  his  good  ser- 
mon, got  Mr.  Patterson  to  St.  Mark's,"  observed 
Judith. 

"  I  don't  care  what  anybody  says  —  that  Graves 
was  a  sly  mean  thing  !  Why,  under  the  circum- 
stances, 'twas  adding  insult  to  injury  to  come  to 
you  for  information  about  Mr.  Patterson,"  declared 
Francie ;  and  Ruth  chimed  in  with  such  an  im- 
pressive, solemn,  "  Yeks,  uncle  Gabe,  /  think  so, 
too,"  as  nearly  set  Judy  laughing. 

"  Well  —  I  don't  know,"  Mr.  Kincaid  said  re- 
flectively ;  from  force  of  habit  his  hand  went  up 
and  stroked  his  shaven  chin.  "  I  'd  have  liked  well 
enough  to  have  that  parish,  I'd  have  carried 
those  people  on  my  heart ;  but  if  it  is  n't  for  me  — 
and,  you  know,  a  Higher  Power  than  that  of  man 
settles  these  matters  —  if  it  is  n't  for  me,  why,  it 's 
very  pleasant  to  think  that  perhaps  I  've  had  a 
hand  in  putting  a  fine  young  fellow  into  a  field  of 
work  where  he  can  do  his  best.  And  he  needs  it, 
girls  ;  Patterson  was  in  a  pretty  tight  place.  Just 
out  of  the  Seminary,  no  funds,  and  with  a  mother, 
a  confirmed  invalid,  to  support!  Yes,"  jiugling 
his  keys  merrily,  "  I  'm  honestly  glad  the  poor 
fellow  has  got  St.  Mark's." 

"  Was  it  rejoicing  over  Mr.  Patterson's  good 
fortune  that  made  you  look  so  pleased  ?  "  inquired 
Judy.  "  We  thought  you  had  something  nice  to 
tell  us." 

"  Well,  Jared  's  got  a  good  situation,  at  last ; 
an  excellent  place,  out  West.  He  goes  to  fill  it 
in  a  week  or  two,  and  earlier,  if  —  if  a  certain 


AND   SO   IT  CAME  175 

matter  can  be  arranged,"  Mr.  Kincaid  announced, 
with  great  satisfaction.  He  thought  it  wise  not 
to  explain  that  the  "  certain  matter  "  referred  to 
was  the  finding  on  his  part  and  advancing  to  his 
protege  of  a  sum  of  money  sufficient  for  traveling 
expenses  to  the  Western  city. 

"  Goodness !  that  must  be  the  *  forty  eleventh ' 
situation  he 's  had  since  you  've  known  him !  "  cried 
Frances. 

"  I  think  he  's  lazy !  "  declared  Judith. 

"  Oh,  no,  my  dear,  you  're  very  much  mistaken," 
replied  the  little  gentleman,  with  decision.  "  Jared 
is  very  anxious  to  keep  at  work,  but  he  has  been 
most  unfortunate,  so  far.  This  new  opening,  how- 
ever, promises  well.  I  only  hope  that  I  —  I  hope," 
hastily  correcting  himself,  "  that  we  can  arrange 
for  him  to  go  out  West.  I  wish  he  was  n't  quite 
so  large  —  or  I  so  small,"  added  Mr.  Kincaid,  under 
his  breath,  with  Jared's  ever  scanty  wardrobe  be- 
fore his  mind's  eye. 

Just  then  came  an  interruption,  one  of  the 
tragic  interruptions  that  sometimes  claim  us  in  a 
tranquil,  most  unexpected  hour. 

A  violent  ring  of  the  bell  echoed  through  the 
apartment,  and  before  Ruth  could  reach  the  door 
Gretchen  stood  there,  awaiting  her  young  mistress, 
with  eyes  that  looked  rounder  than  ever,  and  in- 
expressible excitement  in  her  broken  sentences. 
"  Miss  Youdit'  —  KT  boy  —  kill !  " 

"  What 's  that  ?  "  cried  Judy,  appearing  at  the 
sound  of  her  name  ;  and  all  the  little  party  surged 
out  into  the  narrow  hall  to  hear  what  the  frightened 
woman  at  the  door  had  to  tell. 


176  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

She  was  bareheaded,  and  over  her  shoulders 
was  thrown  a  little  shawl,  under  which  she  tried 
vainly  to  hide  her  large  bare  arms,  her  sleeves 
being  rolled  well  above  her  elbows.  "  Oi  was  at 
me  washin',  miss,  —  you  '11  plaze  to  excuse  me,"  she 
said  breathlessly,  tugging  at  her  sleeves.  "Oi 
rin  loike  a  deer  when  the  pore  mother  axed  me ! 
It 's  liT  Johnnie  Quayle,  miss,  —  he 's  run  over 
wid  them  horse-cyars.  Yes,  sor,  t'ree  blocks  down 
an'  two  across.  It 's  meself  don'  know  if  he  's 
kilt.  Only  he 's  callin'  for  yese,  miss ;  an'  the 
pore  mother 's  that  crazy  "  — 

"  Rufie,  tell  mother  when  she  comes  in.  Come 
with  me,  uncle  Gabe,  will  you  ?  Yes,  I  'in  ready," 
cried  Judith,  tossing  on  a  hat,  and  slipping  into 
her  coat,  buttoning  it  as  she  ran  down  the  steps. 

"  'T  is  the  laidy  he 's  been  callin'  for,"  "  Sure, 
't  is  Miss  Judit'  an'  the  liT  parson,"  cried  several 
in  the  crowd  that  had  gathered  around  the  injured 
boy,  and  a  way  was  instantly  made,  through  which 
Judith  and  uncle  Gabriel  passed. 

Johnnie  had  been  carried  into  the  area-way  of  a 
house  that,  many  years  ago,  had  been  the  home  of 
a  city  magnate ;  the  space  allowed  for  a  front  yard 
was  more  generous  than  that  of  its  neighbors. 
That  space  was  now  occupied  by  as  many  of  the 
crowd  as  could  squeeze  into  it,  their  attention 
divided  between  the  little  boy's  fainting  mother 
and  her  son ;  and  on  the  wide  area  step  sat  a 
woman  holding  the  child  across  her  lap.  In  him 
Judith  scarcely  recognized  the  robust,  rough,  in- 
dependent little  chap,  to  whom  on  visits  to  his 


AND  SO  IT  CAME  177 

mother  she  had  given  pennies  for  treats,  and  whose 
chubby  freckled  face  she  had  so  often  patted. 
Suffering  and  intense  excitement  had  flushed 
Johnnie's  cheeks  a  dull  crimson,  deepened  his  blue 
eyes  into  brilliant,  tearless  black,  and  painted 
under  them  and  around  his  temples  heavy  purple 
shadows  that,  for  the  time,  changed  and  spiritual- 
ized into  startling  beauty  the  commonplace  little 
face. 

Full  grown  for  his  four  short  years  of  life,  the 
boy  more  than  filled  the  capacious  lap  on  which  he 
lay,  with  arms  thrown  wide  apart,  and  his  head 
hanging  over  backward,  so  that  he  surveyed  the 
crowd  upside  down.  One  sturdy  leg  —  in  a  shabby, 
buttonless  shoe,  and  a  torn  stocking  that  gave  a 
liberal  view  of  a  brown  plump  little  knee  — worked 
incessantly  up  and  down,  the  other,  limp  and 
crushed,  —  the  car  wheel  had  gone  over  it,  —  was 
supported  by  friendly  hands,  and  covered  with  a 
light  cloth. 

A  look  of  recognition  came  into  Johnnie's  eyes 
as  Judith  sank  down  beside  him  on  the  step  and 
gently  lifted  his  head.  The  constant  pitiful 
"  A-a-h !  A-a-h !  "  half  moan,  half  cry,  that  issued 
from  his  parted  scarlet  lips  ceased  for  the  space  of 
one  long,  indrawn,  sobbing  breath,  then,  wriggling 
his  head  back  into  its  former  position,  Johnnie 
again  took  up  his  cry. 

"  Is  there  no  doctor  here  ?  Oh,  why  wait  for  the 
ambulance  ?  Oh,  uncle  Gabriel,  do  get  a  doctor ! " 
entreated  Judith. 

But  uncle  Gabriel  was  beside  the  poor  mother. 


178  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

Some  one  had  long  ago  handed  a  chair  over 
the  railing  of  the  next  stoop,  and  on  this  was 
supported  Johnnie's  mother,  half  fainting,  yet 
garrulous  with  nervousness  and  grief.  The  car 
had  come  to  a  stand  ;  the  horses,  no  doubt  glad  of 
the  rest,  flung  sidelong,  inquisitive  glances  at  the 
crowd  and  rubbed  noses ;  the  conductor  held  the 
reins,  and  over  the  area  railing,  side  by  side  with 
a  big  policeman,  hung  the  driver,  white-faced, 
anxious,  and  remorseful  —  he  had  little  ones  of  his 
own  at  home. 

"  It  ain't  my  fault  —  I  swear  it  ain't.  I  'd  'a'  give 
my  right  han'  sooner  'n  have  this  happen,"  he 
earnestly  protested.  "  lie 's  a  daring  young  un  — 
that  boy  !  Day  after  day  when  I  'in  passin'  he  '11 
run  out  a'most  under  the  horses'  feet,  then  race  off 
an'  stan'  jeerin'.  To-day  he  done  it  once  too  often 
—  his  foot  slip,  an'  'fore  I  could  help  it,  though 
God  knows  I  inos'  jammed  that  brake  off  tryin' 
to  stop,  there  he  was,  under  the  w'eel !  'T  ain't 
my  fault,  I  tell  you  —  the  children  had  ought  to  be 
kep'  off  the  streets." 

"  Kep'  off  the  streets ! "  cried  out  Johnnie's 
mother  shrilly ;  dashing  the  tears  from  her  face, 
she  sat  up  to  answer  him.  "  Kep'  off  the  streets, 
is  it  ?  Jes'  lemme  see  youse  do  it !  Six  child'en 
in  two  liT  rooms,  an'  me  washin'  an'  iron  in'  for 
a  livin',  wid  clo'es  lyin'  roun'  an'  cookin'  goin' 
on  ;  six  quar'lin',  squirmin'  young  ones  underfoot 
from  mornin'  to  night  —  jes'  youse  try  it.  Oh, 
youse  men  can  talk,  but  wese  women  know^  ! 
An',  anny  way,  ain't  child'en  got  a  right  to  breathe 


AND  SO  IT  CAME  179 

the  fresh  air  ?  Ye  cyan'  keep  'em  cooped  up  all  the 
time  ;  an'  there  ain't  no  place  roun'  here  for  'em  to 
play  'cep'  the  street.  An',  now,"  falling  back  with  a 
wild  burst  of  tears, — "  nowyouse  has  knock  the  life 
out  of  'im  — me  Johnnie  —  me  foine  liT  b'y — the 
best  of  the  whole  six !  'T  was  he  was  allays  bring- 
in'  me  the  kindlin's  he  'd  be  pickin'  up,  an'  the  liT 
bit  er  coal.  Allays  thinkin'  of  his  mother,  Johnnie 
was.  Sez  he  to  me,  this  blessed  mornin',"  — tear- 
fully addressing  the  bystanders,  who  listened  in  re- 
spectful, sympathetic  silence,  —  "  sez  'e  —  watchin' 
me  scrubbin'  to  the  wash-tubs  —  sez  'e,  '  Mama, 
w'eu  I  'm  a  big  man,  I  '11  tek  care  er  you  —  youse 
shan'  wurk  so  hard.'  That 's  the  very  wurds  he 
says,  '  Mama,  I  '11  tek  care  er  you,'  and  now  he 's 
gone  —  he 's  gone !  An'  what  '11  Tim  Quayle  be 
sayin'  to  me  —  Johnnie  's  the  one  of  all  the  child'en 
he  set  most  store  by.  O-o-w!  O-o-w!  "  Throwing 
her  apron  over  her  face,  Mrs.  Quayle  wept  loudly, 
with  Johnnie's  reversed  vision  fixed  upon  her,  his 
moaning  "  A-a-h !  "  sounding  in  her  ears. 

"Don't  give  up  hope,  my  friend,"  kindly  urged 
uncle  Gabriel.  "  We  don't  yet  know  the  extent 
of  your  little  boy's  injuries  ;  let  us  hope  they  may 
be  less  serious  than  you  think.  At  any  rate,  he 
still  lives  ;  for  that  we  should  be  thankful." 

"  An'  't  is  thankful  I  am  to  yese  for  yer  kind 
wurds,  sor,"  came  in  muffled  accents  from  behind 
the  apron.  "  An'  Miss  Judit'  was  allays  that  good 
—  it 's  Johnnie  '11  be  glad  she  's  wid  'im." 

The  ambulance  came  dashing  round  the  corner, 
and  an  alert  young  doctor  sprang  to  the  ground 


180  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

and  made  Lis  way  to  where  Johnnie  lay.  There  he 
found  a  medical  man  already  on  the  spot. 

While  uncle  Gabriel  was  endeavoring  to  soothe 
and  comfort  Mrs.  Quayle,  and  while  Judith  knelt 
beside  Johnnie,  wiping  the  moisture  of  pain  from 
his  cold  forehead,  patting  his  chubby  hand,  and 
whispering  caressing  words  into  his  apparently 
heedless  ear,  a  tall  girl  and  two  men  had  come  into 
the  crowded  area  and  joined  her. 

"  Oh,  Marnie !  is  n't  it  dreadful  for  the  little 
fellow ! "  Judith  said,  in  a  hurried  undertone,  to 
the  girl ;  then  turning  eagerly  to  one  of  the  men,  a 
dependent,  imploring  note  in  her  voice  that  de- 
lighted her  hearer,  "  Oh,  Basil,  you  '11  get  a  doctor 
—  won't  -you  ?  "  she  asked.  "  The  ambulance  is  so 
long  in  coming,  and  the  poor  child  is  suffering 
agony." 

"  I  '11  get  one,  sure !  He  '11  be  here  in  a  jiffy !  " 
replied  the  new  .cousin  confidently ;  and  dashed 
away  as  fast  as  the  pressure  of  people  around  him 
would  allow,  unheeding  Mr.  Austin's  hastily  ut- 
tered, "  Give  him  any  price  —  only  bring  him  !  " 

While  walking  leisurely  toward  the  Jeffreys' 
house,  Mr.  Austin  and  Margaret  had  been  accosted 
by  a  small  urchin  (one  of  Judy's  "  boys  ")  and 
given  a  vivid  account  of  the  accident  and  Judy's 
presence  there,  which  sent  them,  and  Basil,  who 
came  along  at  the  moment,  a  good  deal  out  of  tlu  ir 
way  and  directly  to  the  area  gate. 

In  the  few  moments  of  Basil's  absence  —  they 
seemed  very  long  —  Roger  Austin,  standing  look- 
ing intently  upon  two  figures  that  were  before  him, 


AND   SO   IT  CAME  181 

was  stirred  by  a  strong  and  most  unusual  emotion. 
The  chief  figure  was  Margaret,  kneeling  beside 
Johnnie,  her  sailor  hat  pushed  back,  well  off  her 
head,  her  brilliant  eyes  soft  with  unshed  tears, 
her  beautiful  face  full  of  tender  pity  as  she  stroked 
the  grimy  little  hand  spread  out  upon  her  palm. 
Once  she  bent  and  laid  the  clammy  fingers  against 
her  glowing  cheek,  and  in  the  thrill  of  a  swift 
vision  that  came  to  him  —  a  hitherto  unthought 
of  joy  —  Roger,  for  the  first  time  in  his  life,  re- 
cognized the  unbreakable  common  brotherhood  of 
man,  and  an  intention  which  for  weeks  had  been 
floating  vaguely  in  the  back  of  his  brain  suddenly 
crystallized  itself  into  a  fixed,  generous  resolve. 

Though  hardly  in  the  fraction  of  time  that  he 
had  stipulated,  Basil,  nevertheless,  speedily  brought 
a  physician,  to  whose  practiced  eye  the  extent  of 
Johnnie's  injuries  was  soon  apparent. 

Judy's  lips  quivered  when  his  report  was  whis- 
pered to  her.  She  hastily  retreated  under  the 
basement  archway,  and  put  her  hands  over  her  face. 
"  Oh,  poor  little  Johnnie !  your  romping,  active 
days  are  over !  "  she  cried.  Then  turning  impul- 
sively to  the  person  who  had  followed  her  steps,  and 
whom  intuitively  she  knew  to  be  Basil,  "  Oh,  is  n't 
it  hard  that  he  should  have  to  be  a  cripple  for  life," 
she  said  huskily,  "because  there  are  not  enough 
places  provided  for  poor  children  in  New  York,  — 
not  enough  safe  playgrounds  for  them  in  this  great 
city  of  rich  men  and  women  !  Oh,  it  is  cruel !  " 
Judy's  hand  clinched,  her  voice  shook.  "  Of  course 
he  was  on  the  street  —  where  else  was  he  to  go  to 


182  FORTUNE'S   BOATS 

play?  Is  it  natural  to  expect  a  healthy,  active 
child,  full  of  mischief,  to  stay  all  day  shut  up  in 
one  stuffy  room  ?  the  Quayles'  other  '  room,'  as 
they  call  it,  is  nothing  but  a  good-sized  dark  closet 
where  as  many  of  them  as  can  sleep.  Is  it  natural 
to  expect  Johnnie  to  stay  indoors,  in  a  room  full 
to  overflowing  with  crying  children,  wash-tubs,  wet 
clothes  hanging  in  every  direction,  when  the 
street,  large,  free,  and  airy  is  open  to  him  ?  It 's 
only  human  to  seek  light  and  air  and  exercise  — 
all  animals  crave  it ;  and  because  no  allowance 
was  made  for  Johnnie's  humanity,  he  is  now  suffer- 
ing —  may  die ;  or  if  he  live,  be  a  poor  lame 
creature  all  the  rest  of  his  days.  This,"  she  threw 
a  hand  over  her  shoulder  in  the  direction  of  John- 
nie, —  "  this  accident  is  n't  God's  doing  ;  it 's  man's 
not  doing  —  his  sin  of  omission.  If  you  had 
known  the  little  fellow  in  health  —  perpetual  mo- 
tion, almost  —  you  'd  realize,  as  I  do,  what  this 
lameness  will  be  to  him  —  if  he  live  !  "  Judith 
leaned  her  head  against  the  wall,  and  several  tears 
ran  down  from  under  the  hands  that  sought  to  con- 
ceal them. 

" '  Tis  hard  lines  on  the  little  chap,"  Basil  said 
thoughtfully ;  a  great  tenderness  was  in  the  light 
blue  eyes  that  gazed  so  steadily  at  Judy.  "  Don't 
cry,  Judy,  —  don't !  "  he  urged  presently,  laying 
his  hand  on  her  arm  ;  there  was  almost  a  sharpness 
in  his  voice,  but  Judith  took  no  offense.  "I  —  I 
can't  stand  seeing  you  cry.  Perhaps  you  '11  get 
your  playground  some  day.  Ah ! "  in  a  tone  of 
relief,  "  here  's  the  ambulance  at  last !  " 


AND  SO  IT  CAME  183 

Upon  the  arrival  of  the  brisk  young  doctor,  and 
his  report,  imparted  with  business-like  brevity, 
Mrs.  Quayle  suddenly  gathered  strength.  Putting 
aside  the  glass  of  water  and  other  restoratives  that 
had  been  offered  her,  she  rose  to  her  feet.  She 
considered  that  the  time  for  action  had  come,  and 
proved  herself  equal  to  it.  "  If  it 's  to  horspittle 
he  's  goin',  I  'm  goin'  wid  'im,"  she  announced, 
with  a  certain  dignity  of  manner,  spite  of  her 
swollen  eyes  and  broad  tear-blurred  visage. 

"You  won't  gain  anything  by  going  now — you 
won't  be  allowed  in  the  ward.  Better  come  in  the 
morning;  better  for  him  and  for  you,  too,"  replied 
the  young  doctor  shortly. 

"  It 's  now  I  'm  goin'  —  wid  'im,"  repeated  Mrs. 
Quayle  firmly.  "  He  ain't  nothin'  but  a  baby ;  an' 
I  '11  be  hold  in'  'im.  Then  I  '11  be  knowin'  what  all 
the  doctors  'd  be  sayin'  of  me  b'y.  D'  ye  s'pose," 
her  voice  rose  passionately,  "  that  I  'd  be  facin' 
Tim  Quayle  widout  that  ?  The  other  child'en  '11 
have  to  git  on  'thout  me  "  — 

"  Sure  I  '11  be  lookin'  afther  the  child'en,"  and 
"  Don't  yese  be  worryin'  'bout  them  —  we  '11  be 
carin'  for  'em,"  broke  in  kindly  neighbors  of 
Johnnie's  mother,  neighbors  who  through  sympathy 
—  and  a  share  of  curiosity  —  had  left  their  work, 
and,  some  of  them,  come  many  blocks  to  be  with 
her. 

"  Hear  her  considerin'  Tim  Quayle,  an'  he,  the 
lazy  oidlin'  feller,  forever  hangin'  roun'  the  docks, 
doin'  nothin',  an'  she  workin'  like  a  horse  to 
keep  the  roof  over  him  an'  the  child'en,"  com- 
mented some  other  neighbors. 


184  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

Unconscious  of  these  last  remarks,  Mrs.  Quayle 
accepted  one  of  the  offers  to  look  after  her  children 
in  her  absence.  "  I  '11  be  doin'  as  much,  an'  more, 
fer  yese,  Mrs.  Brady,  whin  your  toime  of  throuble 
comes,". she  declared,  with  warmth.  "An'  it's  the 
dinner  ye  '11  be  findin'  set  on  the  back  er  the  stove," 
she  added.  "  Will  yer  plaze  to  be  telliu'  Tim  I  '11 
be  home  whin  he  sees  me,  an'  not  before.  The 
Howly  Mother  an'  all  the  saints  bless  ye,  Miss 
Judit',"  as  the  girl  came  close  and  pressed  her 
hard  work-worn  hand.  "It's  the  friend  of  the 
poor  ye  are,  an'  no  mistake." 

With  sustained  dignity  Mrs.  Quayle  walked  to 
the  ambulance,  into  which  uncle  Gabriel  assisted 
her;  then  Johnnie  was  handed  in,  quiet  enough 
now ;  the  young  doctor  had  given  him  a  hypoder- 
mic of  morphine. 

"  O-o-w !  me  liT  Johnnie !  O-o-w !  Mavourneen, 
mavourneen,  't  is  loike  the  dead  ye  look  ! "  cried 
the  poor  mother,  bursting  into  a  paroxysm  of  tears 
as  she  received  the  round  quiet  little  figure  into 
her  arms. 

"  Now,  see  here  -  -  I  can't  have  that  noise ; 
you  've  got  to  be  quiet,"  commanded  the  hospital 
doctor,  at  which  a  murmur  of  disapproval  ran 
through  the  crowd.  The  young  physician  sprang 
to  his  seat,  gave  the  signal,  and  the  ambulance 
went  swiftly  up  the  avenue  and  out  of  sight. 

The  party  of  five  walked  in  almost  unbroken 
silence  to  the  Jeffreys'  home.  Ruth  admitted 
them  to  the  drawing-room,  where  were  Mrs.  Jef- 


AND  SO   IT  CAME  185 

frey,  Frances,  and  Ursula,  with  many  questions  as 
to  their  absence. 

"When  it  got  to  be  long  past  tea  time  and  none 
of  you  put  in  an  appearance,  I  grew  nervous,"  the 
mother  said.  "  The  whole  affair  was  so  hurried 
that  Ruth  and  Francie  could  tell  very  little  of 
what  had  carried  you  two  off,"  —  nodding  at  uncle 
Gabe  and  Judith,  the  last  of  whom  sat  white  and 
heavy-eyed,  —  "  and  Margaret's  absence  added  to 
my  anxiety." 

Then  the  story  was  related  by  the  girls  and  uncle 
Gabriel,  the  other  two  men  supplying  a  word  here 
and  there  as  the  tale  progressed.  Judith  told  her 
part  with  feeling,  but  quietly  and  apparently  with 
perfect  self-control,  until  nearly  at  the  end ;  and 
then,  without  warning,  she  sprang  up,  leaving  a 
sentence  unfinished.  "  I  can't  go  on,"  she  ex- 
plained, with  shaking  lips,  spite  of  a  desperate 
effort  to  keep  them  steady.  "  I  think  —  I  'm  tired. 
Mamie,  you  tell  the  rest." 

She  turned  hastily  to  leave  the  room,  when,  to 
the  surprise  of  all,  Mr.  Austin  made  a  detaining 
gesture.  "  Don't  go  just  yet,  Judith,"  he  asked. 
"  I  've  something  to  say  to  you  presently." 

Then,  when  Margaret  had  brought  the  sad  story 
to  a  close,  Roger  rose  from  his  chair,  and  taking 
a  step  forward,  addressed  Judith.  "  You  have 
more  than  once  spoken  to  me  of  a  cherished 
scheme  you  have  in  mind  and  are  most  desirous  of 
having  carried  out,"  he  said.  There  was  an  earnest 
ring  in  his  voice,  and  such  a  curious,  restrained 
excitement  in  his  usually  calm  manner  as  immedi- 


186  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

ately  secured  the  attention  of  the  small  audience. 
"  Your  idea,  as  I  understand  it,  is  that  there  should 
be  more  public  playgrounds  for  the  poor  children 
of  this  city,  and  right  in  the  heart  of  the  city. 
You  maintain  that  such  places  would  be  for  their 
great  gain,  —  a  gain  both  of  body  and  soul,  I  think 
you  said.  After  carefully  considering  the  idea, 
I  will  say  now  that  I  agree  with  you.  And  as  a 
practical  proof  of  my  belief  in  the  good  such  a 
playground  would  be  on  this  crowded  East  Side,  I 
am  prepared  to  give  for  that  purpose  three  lots  of 
ground  which  I  now  own."  He  paused,  for  Mar- 
garet had  risen  and  come  swiftly  to  his  side. 

"  Oh,  Roger,  how  kind  you  are  !  "  she  exclaimed, 
and  impulsively  took  one  of  his  hands  in  hers. 

Uncle  Gabriel  and  Margaret's  lover  had  not 
been  drawn  toward  each  other.  In  the  inner  re- 
cesses of  his  mind  Mr.  Austin  regarded  the  little 
clergyman  as  but  one  remove  from  a  fool,  and,  in 
the  exercise  of  his  philanthropy,  detrimental  to  the 
Jeffreys ;  while  uncle  Gabe's  private  opinion  of  his 
future  nephew-in-law  was  that  he  was  dull,  cold- 
hearted,  and  worldly.  But  now  the  little  man  quite 
forgot  his  prejudice  in  admiration  of  Roger's  gen- 
erosity. 

"  That 's  a  noble  gift,  sir,  a  noble  gift  —  one 
that  does  you  credit !  "  he  declared  warmly.  "  I 
envy  you  the  ability  to  give  so  generously.  It  is 
a  great  privilege,  for  "  —  uncle  Gabriel's  hand  was 
lifted  —  "  '  He  that  hath  pity  upon  the  poor  lend- 
eth  unto  the  Lord.' ' 

At  Mr.  Austin's  unexpected  words  Judy  had 


AND  SO  IT  CAME  187 

risen  quickly  to  her  feet,  with  the  color  flaming  in 
a  soft  red  sti'eak  on  each  cheek,  wide-eyed  and 
bewildered.  "  Mother,  Ursula  —  do  you  suppose 
he  means  it?  Is  it  true  ?  Oh  !  is  it  really  true?  " 
she  asked  imploringly,  incredulously,  doubting  the 
evidence  of  her  own  ears. 

"  Oh,  how  generous !  "  "  How  kind !  "  came 
from  various  ones  in  the  little  audience. 

With  a  rare  public  demonstration  of  affection 
Mr.  Austin  drew  Margaret's  hand  within  his  arm 
and  gently  patted  it ;  and  with  her  standing  beside 
him,  continued  his  remarks.  He  was  realizing  in 
a  larger,  fuller  degree  than  ever  before  in  all  his 
life  the  beauty  and  joy  of  giving. 

"Yes,  it  is  quite  true,"  he  said,  smiling  at  Ju- 
dith ;  his  eyes  were  bright,  and  a  tinge  of  color  had 
come  into  his  anemic  face.  "  The  lots  are  situated 
in  a  closely  populated  district  of  the  East  Side, 
and,  at  present,  are  occupied  by  houses ;  but  they 
shall  be  pulled  down.  And  as  the  space  of  the  three 
lots,  put  together,  is  not  enough  for  your  purpose, 
we  must  see  what  we  can  do  to  make  it  larger. 
I  '11  lay  the  matter  before  some  men,  and  try  and 
get  them  interested.  It  is  possible  —  of  course, 
you  understand  that  I  am  not  speaking  with  any 
certainty  whatever  —  but  it  is  possible  that  they 
may  be  induced  to  cooperate,  and  so  enable  us  to 
carry  out  the  scheme  " 

"  Ay !  "  shouted  Basil,  jumping  to  his  feet  and 
slapping  his  hand  violently  on  his  pocket ;  then 
meeting  the  surprised  eyes  that  turned  upon  him,  he 
sank  back  in  his  chair  and  scowled  fiercely,  with  a 


188  FORTUNE'S   BOATS 

sulky  expression  on  his  face  that  seemed  to  say, 
"  Don't  anybody  dare  to  tell  me  I  said  that !  " 

By  this  time  Judith  had  reached  Roger's  side, 
and  was  clasping  his  hand  firmly  with  her  eager, 
nervous  fingers.  "  Oh,  God  will  bless  you  for  this 
splendid  gift ! "  she  cried ;  she  could  scarcely  speak. 
"  I  can't  thank  you,  my  heart  is  so  full  that  the 
words  won't  come.  Thank  him  for  me,  Mamie ! 
Mother,  Ursula,  tell  him  what  a  great,  great  boon 
this  playground  will  be,  what  a  blessing  to  the 
children !  They  will  have  a  right  there ;  there 
they  can  play  without  being  in  anybody's  way, 
without  danger  of  being  knocked  down,  run  over,  as 
Johnnie  "  —  Dropping  Mr.  Austin's  hand  Judy 
ran  to  her  mother,  and  slipping  to  her  knees,  buried 
her  face  in  that  lady's  shoulder.  "  Oh,  mother ! 
mother !  —  I  am  so  glad,  I  am  so  glad  !  "  she  de- 
clared, and,  by  way  of  proving  it,  burst  into  a 
passion  of  tears  which  even  Mrs.  Jeffrey's  tender 
touch,  her  soothing  voice,  could  not  immediately 
check. 

"  Good-by !  "  a  voice  whispered  presently  into 
Judy's  ear. 

The  voice  came  from  somewhere  back  of  the 
spindle  chair,  and  belonged  to  Basil  Fabrey. 

Judith  lifted  her  face,  still  wet  with  tears  ;  p:il<>, 
tired,  heavy-eyed,  but  calm,  save  for  a  slight 
trembling  of  the  under  lip  when  she  spoke.  "  I  'm 
ashamed  to  have  broken  down  under  such  splendid 
news  —  just  what  I've  been  longing  for.  I  don't 
know  what  ails  me  to-day ;  you  '11  think  me  a 
regular  cry-baby !  "  she  said  deprecatingly. 


AND   SO   IT  CAME  189 

Basil  went  down  on  one  knee  to  be  on  a  level 
withherrand  their  eyes  met.  Then,  rosy  red  from 
chin  to  forehead,  Judy  hastily  put  her  face  again 
upon  her  mother's  shoulder,  and,  shielded  from 
public  view  behind  the  high  back  of  the  spindle 
chair,  Basil  stooped  still  lower  and  quietly  kissed 
the  hand  she  had  held  out  for  good-by.  The  next 
minute,  making  short  work  of  his  adieux  to  the 
rest  of  the  family,  he  was  rushing  down  the  steps 
in  hot  pursuit  of  Mr.  Austin,  who  had  preceded 
him. 

"  Oh,  I  say  !  Austin,  hold  on  !  "  Basil  shouted ; 
and  on  reaching  that  dignified  gentleman  thrust 
a  hand  familiarly  through  his  arm.  "  I  want  to 
talk  to  you  about  that  playground  business,"  he 
remarked,  somewhat  out  of  breath  with  his  late 
exertions.  "  I  know  of  one  '  bloated  capitalist ' 
that  wants  to  drop  some  cash  in  just  such  a  scheme. 
I  '11  walk  a  block  or  two  with  you  and  explain." 


CHAPTER  XI 

JARED 

THE  family  were  out  —  Ursula  and  Frances 
spending  the  evening  with  the  Ervengs  ;  Mrs.  Jef- 
frey and  the  other  three  girls  dining  in  Washing- 
ton Square.  So  it  happened  that  uncle  Gabriel 
was  quite  alone  when  Jared  Watkins  called.  In 
the  kitchen  Gretchen  was  poring  over  a  German 
paper  that  Mr.  Kincaid  had  given  her.  After  a 
very  juvenile  frolic  Count  Ito  was  asleep  in  his 
basket  under  the  table,  and  on  the  fire-escape 
outside  the  kitchen  window,  with  her  tail  close 
wrapped  around  her  dainty  white  paws,  was  Miss 
Weewee,  taking  the  air,  and,  under  the  guise  of 
meditation,  casting  inquisitive  glances  into  her 
neighbors'  back  windows.  At  the  flat-topped  desk 
in  the  dining-room  sat  uncle  Gabriel,  writing  by  the 
fast  fading  light  of  a  late  April  afternoon.  The 
article  was  for  the  next  number  of  the  Italian 
paper,  the  subject  Garibaldi,  —  a  hero  dear  to  the 
little  man's  heart,  —  and  his  pen  was  traveling 
over  the  pages  of  his  pad  with  genuine  enjoyment. 
Yet  he  heard  and  recognized  the  stealthy  knock  at 
the  front  door,  and  immediately  rose  to  answer  it. 

"  That 's  all  right,  Gretchen,  you  need  n't  trouble 
to  go  to  the  door,"  he  called,  with  characteristic 


JARED  191 

consideration,  and  in  German.  "  It 's  some  one 
for  me ;  I  '11  let  him  in,"  and  hastened  to  admit 
his  protege. 

"  Ah,  good-evening,  Jared !  Glad  to  see  you !  " 
he  said  heartily.  "  Come  in,  my  friend,  walk 
right  in.  I  '11  take  you  to  my  room  to  have  our 
talk.  It  V  pretty  small  —  should  n't  wonder  if  we 
two  big  men  'd  be  rather  crowded.  Ha !  ha  I  But 
we  '11  manage  somehow.  Tell  you  what,  you  can 
sit  on  the  bed,  and  I  '11  hang  my  feet  out  of  the 
window.  That  '11  give  more  space  —  eh  ?  Ha !  ha ! 
This  way,  Jared  !  " 

Mr.  Kincaid  took  the  lead,  turning  up  the  light 
for  the  visitor  to  see  his  way  across  the  drawing- 
room.  It  was  Jared's  first  admittance  within  the 
flat,  and  he  followed  his  patron  leisurely,  as  he 
went  casting,  from  under  beetling  brows,  glances 
sly  but  sharp  to  right  and  left ;  glances  which,  by 
the  time  he  reached  uncle  Gabriel's  bedroom,  had 
fixed  in  the  protege's  mind  the  exact  location  of 
the  few  articles  of  value  in  the  little  parlor. 

"  Take  a  seat,  Jared  ;  this  chair 's  about  the  only 
one  here  that  would  bear  such  a  heavy  weight  as 
you.  Light  weights  may  not  be  imposing,  perhaps, 
but  I  've  found  one  advantage  they  possess,"  -  —  the 
little  man's  eyes  were  twinkling  behind  his  glasses ; 
he  was  in  good  spirits  this  evening,  —  "they  agree 
better  with  old,  infirm  furniture  than  do  you  heavy 
people.  Ha  !  ha !  This  would  n't  hold  you  —  I  'm 
perfectly  safe  in  it,"  as  he  spoke,  twisting  round  a 
weak-backed  revolving  chair,  which  had  lost  its 
thread  and  wobbled  aimlessly  from  side  to  side. 


192  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

Mr.  Kincaid  confidently  seated  himself  in  it. 
"  Little  place,  but  cosy  —  is  n't  it  ?  "  he  asked.  A 
comprehensive  wave  of  the  hand  indicated  his  small 
domain. 

Having  settled  his  huge  bulk  to  his  satisfaction, 
and  placed  on  the  floor  beside  his  chair  a  dirty- 
looking  carpet-bag  which  he  had  carried,  Jared 
was  now  letting  his  shrewd  eyes  wander  around  his 
friend's  bedroom.  It  was  cosy,  in  its  arrangement 
showing  evidence  of  a  woman's  touch  and  thought, 
but,  save  for  the  fine  copy  of  Andrea  del  Sarto's 
head  of  Christ  which  hung  upon  the  wall,  and  for 
Mr.  Kincaid's  new  spring  overcoat  which  lay  over 
the  foot-rail  of  the  bed,  everything  in  the  apart- 
ment was  of  the  simplest,  and  indeed  shabby.  The 
picture  had  been  presented  to  uncle  Gabriel  years 
ago ;  the  overcoat  had  come  in  rather  an  unusual 
way  —  in  payment  of  a  piece  of  writing  from  a 
clothier  who  was  short  of  ready  cash.  From  the 
same  source  and  on  the  same  terms  had  come  the 
new  suit  of  clothes  in  which  the  protege  was  now 
arrayed. 

Jared  appraised  the  furnishings  at  a  very  low 
figure,  but  the  comfort  which  they  represented 
appealed  directly  to  him  and  embittered  his  soul. 

"  You  're  fine  an'  comfortable.  What  more  d's 
a  man  want  'n  something  to  eat  an'  drink  an'  a 
place  to  sleep?  "  he  said  ;  he  had  a  rough,  abrupt 
manner.  His  tone  grew  querulous.  "  This  'd  be 
a  palice  —  a  palice  —  to  me ! "  he  declared.  "  You  'd 
ought  to  see  where  /  slop'  las'  night !  —  a  shelf 
'gainst  the  wall,  an'  two  of  us  on  it  at  that.  Guess 


JARED  193 

there  was  more  'n  two  ;  "  this  grimly,  and  with  a 
reminiscent  scratch  of  his  upper  arm. 

"  Why,  how  's  that  ?  I  gave  you  —  er  —  I  told 
you  to  get  sleeping  accommodation  at  the  Mills 
Building,"  Mr.  Kincaid  exclaimed,  in  surprise. 

Jared  started,  and  hastened  to  retrieve  his  mis- 
take. "  You  did  gi'  me  some  money,  parson ; 
you  're  the  best  —  and  —  only  —  friend  —  I  've  got 
—  in  the  world !  "  he  asserted,  with  a  sidelong,  em- 
phatic movement  of  his  brawny  hand.  "  You  've 
been  a  friend  to  me  when  everybody  else  'd  turned 
the  cold  shoulder.  You  did  gi'  me  money  yester- 
day for  a  Mills  bed,  an'  it  was  my  intention  to  've 
gone  there,  but,  parson,  I  ain't  an  angel,  an'  I  ain't 
dead,  consequently  I  had  to  eat.  An'  by  the  time 
I  'd  satisfied  myself  an'  "  —  here  he  dropped  his 
voice  and  tried  to  look  modest,  with  a  shrewd  eye  on 
his  audience,  —  "  an'  given  a  bite  to  a  poor  wretch 
as  bad  off  as  myself,  there  were  n't  much  left ;  not 
more  'n  enough  to  get  a  shelf  in  one  of  them 
sleepin'-hells  along  the  river-side.  'T  ain't  your 
fault,  parson  —  it  's  all  mine.  I  'd  no  business  to 
be  givin'  a  meal  to  that  man  with  the  money  you 
gi'  me  for  another  purpose.  Oh,  I  know  it  —  I 
know  it,"  waving  his  hands  at  the  distressed  little 
clergyman,  who  was  trying  vainly  to  interrupt  his 
protege's  flow  of  words.  "  But  I  've  got  a  heart, 
parson  —  a  heart,  sir  —  if  I  am  a  bad  lot,  an'  I  'd 
've  slep'  on  that  shelf  every  night  in  the  week 
ruther  'n  refuse  a  meal  to  that  onfortunate  crea- 
ture." lie  paused,  with  an  air  of  being  overcome 
by  his  feelings. 


194  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

"  Why,  certainly,  Jared,  certainly  !  "  exclaimed 
'Mr.  Kincaid  eagerly.  He  put  out  his  thin  hand 
and  patted  the  other  man's  broad  shoulder.  "  My 
friend,  /  would  never  be  the  one  to  blame  you 
for  such  an  unselfish  piece  of  kindness,"  he  said. 
"  I  've  always  felt  that  you  had  a  good  heart, 
Jared.  And  there  '11  be  no  more  sleeping  on  a 
shelf  against  the  wall  for  you  —  let  us  thank  a  mer- 
ciful Heavenly  Father  for  that,  Jared !  No  more 
being  hungry,  with  an  empty  pocket,  and  without 
a  home.  This  opening  in  Denver  is  full  of  promise 
— fu-l-l  of  promise !  There  you  '11  be  able  to  put 
the  old  unhappy  past  entirely  behind  you  —  bury  it, 
in  fact,  and  with  God's  help  make  a  new  name  for 
yourself,  a  new  and  honorable  name,  my  friend. 
It 's  an  excellent  opening  in  Denver,  and  I  know 
you  '11  make  good  use  of  it,  Jared.  I  expect 
great  things  of  you  in  this  new  situation  —  great 
things  !  Don't  you  forget  that."  Uncle  Gabriel's 
bright  face  beamed  with  kindness,  his  voice  rang 
hopefully. 

But  the  little  red  eyes  under  Jared's  sullen  brows 
were  filled  with  an  ugly  light.  "  *  A  new  life  ! ' : 
he  cried  out  roughly,  almost  fiercely.  "  I  tell  you, 
there  ain't  no  new  life  for  me.  I  've  gone  wron^ 
-  I  'm  a  jail-bird  —  an'  that  settles  it !  Down  in 
the  gutter  I'm  to  stay  —  where  I  belong.  Don't 
say  a  word,  parson  :  that 's  just  the  way  it  stands. 
There  's  no  gettin'  up  in  the  world  again  for  me  — 
God  won'  help  me,  an'  man  won'  let  me."  Jared 
was  in  downright  earnest  now.  "  I  tell  you  that 's 
true!  "  He  brought  his  first  down  on  the  little  table 


JARED  195 

near  him  with  an  unexpected  bang  that  made  Mr. 
Kincaid  jump.  "  Anderson  said  he  'd  gi'  me  —  I 
mean  len'  me  half  the  money  to  get  to  Denver. 
To-night  I  went  to  him  for  it,  all  ready  to  start," 
motioning  to  the  carpet-bag  beside  him,  "  as  the 
train  goes  at  midnight.  I  went  to  him  for  the 
money  he  'd  promised  —  what 's  he  tell  me  ?  He 
ain't  got  no  money  to  lend  —  he  can't  spare  it! 
That 's  all.  Yes,  sir,  —  says  he  —  can't  do  it ! 
Lyin'  cheat !  Interested  in  me  ?  Bah !  I  tell 
you,  parson,  he  don'  care  a  Go —  " 

"  Jared  !  Jared  !  —  no  swearing  !  "  broke  in  Mr. 
Kincaid  firmly,  barely  in  time  to  arrest  the  oath 
that  trembled  on  his  protege  's  lips. 

Jared  glared,  then  dropped  his  head  ;  a  little 
whine  came  into  his  voice.  "  I  ask  your  pardon, 
sir,  —  hope  you  '11  forgive  me.  It 's  the  bad  com- 
pany I  used  to  keep  that 's  learned  me  them  ways. 
But  I  'm  tryin'  to  do  different —  since  I  've  known 
you.  'T  ain't  easy,  but  I  'm  tryin' ;  you  're  my  best 
friend,  parson ;  you  won'  be  hard  on  a  poor 
feller?" 

"  I  do  believe  that  you  're  striving  to  be  a  better 
man,  that  you  've  turned  from  the  evil  ways,  and 
are  seeking  after  God.  Yes,  Jared,  I  believe  that," 
Mr.  Kincaid  said  kindly,  instantly  mollified.  "And 
I  '11  never  be  hard  upon  you,  my  friend,  never,  of 
that  you  may  be  sure.  For  I  know  by  my  own 
experience  that  even  with  the  strongest  resolution, 
it  is  often  far  from  easy  to  overcome  the  old  Adam 
within  us."  The  near-sighted,  unsuspicious  little 
gentleman  failed  to  notice  the  expression,  half 


196  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

amusement,  half  contemptuous,  that  contorted 
Jared's  mouth  at  his  remark,  and  to  conceal  which 
he  coughed  behind  his  hand. 

"  And  now  I  '11  tell  you  something  pleasant," 
uncle  Gabriel  continued  gayly,  —  "  something  very 
pleasant !  It 's  a  pity  Anderson  has  dropped  out ; 
but  it 's  his  loss  as  much  as  yours,  Jared,  for  it  is 
a  great  privilege  to  be  able  to  help  a  fellow  crea- 
ture to  stand  once  more  upon  his  own  feet.  A  man 
who  knew  what  he  was  talking  about  says  that 
*  Liberty  is  that  place  in  life  in  which  we  can  do 
our  best.'  This  place  in  Denver  is  going  to  be 
liberty  to  you,  Jared,  for  you  will  be  free  to  do 
your  best  in  it,  — free  from  the  evil  associates  that 
sometimes  tempt  you  here,  and  with  your  past  a 
dead  past,  indeed.  Those  who  meet  you  out  there 
will  know  you  only  as  you  show  yourself  —  an 
honest  man,  as  I  firmly  believe  you  now  to  be,  and 
deserving  of  respect.  At  your  very  best  you  will 
be  out  there,  with  God's  help,  —  your  best  of  body, 
mind,  and  soul.  See  ?  Why,  Jared,  you  may  yet 
rise  to  be  one  of  the  firm.  1  expect  it  of  you  — 
nothing  less  !  Ha !  ha !  " 

Pulling  open  the  top  drawer  of  his  chiffonier  —  it 
was  never  locked  —  Mr.  Kincaid  took  out  a  pocket- 
book.  Its  once  smooth  surface  was  scratched  and 
worn  with  the  service  of  years,  its  form  limp  and 
flat,  and  from  among  its  musty  folds  Jared's  patron 
drew  a  roll  of  bills.  By  the  provision  of  a  friend 
—  long  dead  —  uncle  Gabriel,  twice  a  year,  re- 
ceived a  small  sum  of  money.  Its  expenditure 
should  have  added  to  his  personal  comfort  and 


JARED  197 

lightened  the  pecuniary  cares  which  sometimes 
pressed  heavily  upon  him ;  but  it  was  mainly  spent 
in  giving  aid  to  the  suffering  poor  that  came  to 
him  for  help.  Now,  separating  one  bill  (it  was  all 
the  cash  that  he  expected  to  own  for  weeks  to 
come)  from  the  roll,  the  little  gentleman  laid  it 
away  in  the  pocket-book,  then  turned  to  Jared  with 
a  happy  countenance. 

"  From  a  chance  remark  of  Anderson's  yester- 
day, I  feared  that  he  might  back  out  at  the  last 
moment,"  uncle  Gabriel  said.  "  So  I  prepared  for 
such  an  emergency  —  I  was  determined you  should 
have  this  chance,  Jared !  On  my  way  up  town 
this  afternoon  I  called  upon  a  man  I  know,  and 
made  an  arrangement  with  him  to  do  some  work. 
He  's  been  after  me  for  some  time  to  take  it,  but 
it 's  work  on  a  dictionary  and  —  eh  —  rather  con- 
fining, with  my  other  indoor  labors, —  editing  those 
papers,  I  mean,  —  so  I  'd  fought  rather  shy  of  the 
job.  My  friend  agreed  at  once,  and  I  got  him  to 
advance  me  some  money  on  my  future  work.  That 
is  in  here,"  he  motioned  to  the  roll  of  bills,  "  and 
as  well  a  small  amount  which  conies  to  me  semi- 
annually.  Altogether  there 's  enough  to  take  you 
to  Denver,  Jared,  and  to  allow  you  a  little  over  for 
meals  on  the  cars,  and  for  a  bite  when  you  get  to 
your  journey's  end.  As  you  say,  not  being  an 
angel  or  dead,  you  must  eat.  Ha !  ha !  Pretty  good 
for  you,  Jared !  Now,  see."  Mr.  Kincaid  began 
counting  the  money  out  on  the  little  table  near 
which  sat  his  protege. 

"  It  was  my  intention  to  go  to  the  station  with 


198  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

you,"  lie  continued,  shedding  the  bills  from  his 
fingers  with  the  slow  awkward  touch  of  one  unac- 
customed to  such  handling.  "  But  your  train  goes 
at  midnight,  and  I've  an  article  to  finish  for  my 
Italian  paper,  and  some  proofs  to  correct,  dic- 
tionary proofs  —  I  began  work  right  away  —  that 
must  be  given  in  to-morrow  morning,  and  it  '11  take 
—  well  —  most  of  the  night  to  get  it  all  finished. 
Else  I  certainly  would  go  up  with  you  "  — 

At  sight  of  the  money  a  hard  glittering  light 
had  sprung  into  Jared's  ferret  eyes,  a  greed  that 
set  his  heavy  mouth  twitching.  The  big  fingers 
spread  upon  his  knees  worked  with  longing,  and, 
before  uncle  Gabriel  had  well  finished  his  count, 
they  were  outstretched  and  had  closed  hungrily 
upon  the  bills.  "  God  bless  you,  parson  !  "  he  ex- 
claimed breathlessly.  He  brought  the  two  fistfuls 
of  money  together  and  held  them  extended  before 
his  almost  incredulous  eyes.  "  I  ain't  seen  so 
much  —  for  years  —  years  —  years !  "  he  said 
thickly.  With  trembling  fingers  he  shook  the  bills 
into  an  even  pile  and  laid  them  lovingly  away  in  a 
dilapidated  wallet  which  he  produced  from  some 
remote  pocket.  Then  he  lifted  his  huge  figure 
erect  and  faced  his  patron.  "  There  's  nobody  been 
so  good  to  me  since  I  was  born  as  you  've  been," 
he  declared,  with  an  unusual,  and  genuine,  earnest- 
ness in  his  voice.  "  I  ain't  had  any  too  much  of 
such  treatment ;  mostly  it 's  been  kicks  an'  cuffs 
an'  hard  words.  If  I  'd  met  you  years  agone, 
maybe  I  'd  been  a  better  man  !  Parson,  you  're  the 
right  sort  —  you  are !  God  bless  you  !  "  He  wrung 


JARED  199 

uncle  Gabriel's  hand,  and  the  little  man  patted 
him  on  the  arm  with  the  other  hand. 

"  If  you  could  know  the  great  pleasure  it  gives 
me  to  do  this  for  you,  Jared !  "  he  said,  beaming 
affectionately  upon  his  protege.  "  All  I  ask  is  that 
you  keep  straight,  and  make  a  new,  honest  name 
for  yourself  in  Denver.  That 's  all  I  ask.  And, 
perhaps,  out  there,  one  of  these  days,  you  '11  have 
opportunity  to  pass  along  to  others  in  trouble  some 
of  what  you  call  my  '  kindnesses '  to  you  —  asking 
them  to  pass  it  on  to  some  one  else.  Eh,  friend  ? 
In  that  way  one  can  do  a  good  deal  of  book-keep- 
ing without  having  a  very  long  pocket.  "Was  n't 
it  Benjamin  Franklin  said  something  like  that  ? 
Wise  old  Ben !  I  am  very  sorry  I  can't  go  to  the 
station  with  you,  Jared ;  I  'd  like  so  much  to  've 
seen  you  off.  Let  me  see  —  I  wonder  if  I  could  ?  " 
he  finished,  with  a  questioning  glance  at  the  table 
where  lay  a  bundle  of  proofs  waiting  to  be  re- 
vised. 

Jared  scowled  heavily.  "  Is  it  'cause  you  don' 
trust  me,  parson,  that  you  'd  be  goin'  along  ?  "  he 
asked,  in  an  injured,  sulky  tone.  "  You  've  got 
your  writin'  to  do,  an'  the  Lord  knows  —  good- 
ness knows,"  he  hastily  corrected  himself  at  Mr. 
Kincaid's  upraised  finger, — "  goodness  knows  I  've 
been  bother  enough  to  you  without  you  takin'  the 
time  —  vallyble  time  —  to  go  all  the  way  to  the 
train  with  me.  'T  ain'  necessary  ;  you  don'  think 
I  'd  spend  that  money  on  anything  bat  the 
tickets  "  - 

"  Why,  Jared  !  "  broke  in  Mr.  Kincaid,  deeply 


200  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

pained  to  have  in  any  way,  however  uninten- 
tionally, hurt  his  protege's  feelings.  "  Why,  my 
friend,  whatever  in  the  world  put  that  absurd  no- 
tion into  your  head  ?  Don't  you  know  that  I  trust 
you  ?  Well,  I  do.  I  trust  you,  Jared,  I  trust  you 
thoroughly !  There !  Now  sit  down  and  we  '11 
chat  a  little  longer  before  you  go.  You  know  we 
shan't  have  the  opportunity  again  in  a  hurry.  Eh  ? 
Sit  down." 

But  pretty  soon  Jared  made  another  attempt  to 
leave.  "  I  guess  I  'd  best  be  toddlin',"  he  said,  ris- 
ing from  his  chair.  "  I  've  a  few  things  to  see  to ; 
an'  I  don'  like  to  be  keepin'  you  from  your  work, 
sir."  He  held  out  his  big  hand. 

"  Oh,  but  your  letter  of  introduction  to  the  Rev- 
erend Mr.  Maynard  !  "  cried  uncle  Gabriel.  "  We 
almost  forgot  that !  I  wrote  one  —  but  where  've 
I  put  it  ?  "  Hastily  he  turned  over  the  contents 
of  the  chiffonier  drawer,  and  tumbled  the  papers 
about  on  his  table.  "  Oh,  perhaps  it 's  in  the  din- 
ing-room ;  I  remember  now  that  I  wrote  it  out 
there.  Just  sit  do\vn  again  and  make  yourself 
comfortable,  Jared  ;  I  '11  be  back  in  a  minute." 

But  Jared  did  not  sit  down  during  his  patron's 
absence.  He  continued  to  stand,  and  his  eyes  were 
fixed,  with  a  horrible  fascination,  upon  the  open 
chiffonier  drawer,  where  on  a  heap  of  disarranged 
collars,  cuffs,  and  handkerchiefs  lay  uncle  Gabriel's 
old  pocket-book,  in  full  view.  The  man's  hand 
went  out,  the  fingers  working,  clutching  at  the 
empty  air,  then  fell  by  his  side,  and  turning  his 
back  he  stared  unseeingly  down  upon  the  table. 


JARED  201 

Suddenly  Jared  wheeled  around,  made  a  stride 
to  the  drawer,  snatched  out  from  the  pocket-book 
the  bill  Mr.  Kincaid  had  left  there,  and  stoop- 
ing, shoved  it  inside  his  shoe  —  the  new  shoes  that 
uncle  Gabriel  had  given  him.  "  He  had  n't  ought 
to  left  me  alone,  alone  —  me  —  a  jail-bird  !  "  he 
muttered  fiercely.  His  breath  grew  short,  a  wild 
excitement  came  into  his  manner.  "  It 's  mos'  too 
easy  !  "  he  declared,  with  a  nervous  contortion  of 
the  mouth  that  was  intended  for  a  smile.  Seizing 
the  overcoat  that  lay  over  the  foot-rail,  with  a  few 
rapid  sweeps  of  his  hand  it  was  folded  and  depos- 
ited in  the  carpet-bag.  Darting  into  the  drawing- 
room  he  swooped  down  upon  a  valuable  little 
bronze  match-box  which  Miss  Austin  had  given 
Margaret,  and  in  a  trice  that  also  was  stowed  away 
in  the  same  receptacle.  The  whole  thing  was  done 
with  marvelous  dexterity  and  quickness,  and  when 
Mr.  Kincaid  reentered  the  room,  Jared  received 
him  with  the  stolid  composure  which  was  that 
gentleman's  habitual  experience  of  him. 

"  Here  it  is,"  uncle  Gabriel  remarked,  handing 
the  letter  of  introduction  to  his  protege.  "  Put  it 
in  a  safe  place,  Jared,  and  deliver  it  just  as  soon 
as  you  arrive  in  Denver  —  before  you  even  get  a 
meal.  Mr.  Maynard  is  a  good  man,  an  excellent, 
good  man  !  and  a  faithful  friend  of  mine.  He  '11 
be  a  friend  to  you,  too,  Jared.  You  must  go  ?  I 
suppose  you  're  right  to  get  on  board  the  train 
early  and  have  a  good  night's  rest.  Well,  friend," 
the  little  man's  voice  grew  very  gentle  and  affec- 
tionate, "  we  've  known  each  other  for  a  consider- 


202  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

able  length  of  time ;  now  our  paths  are  diverging, 
and  we  may  never  meet  again  —  let  us  pray  before 
we  part." 

Jared's  face  darkened,  he  made  an  involuntary 
movement  toward  the  door ;  but  the  hand  upon  his 
arm  drew  him  back.  The  two  men  knelt  down 
beside  the  narrow  white  bed,  side  by  side,  and  with 
one  hand  resting  upon  Jared's  clenched  fist  uncle 
Gabriel  prayed  —  "  O  God,  who  knowest  us  to  be 
set  in  the  midst  of  so  many  and  great  dangers 
that  by  reason  of  the  frailty  of  our  nature  we 
cannot  always  stand  upright;  grant  to  us  such 
strength  and  protection  as  may  support  us  in  all 
dangers,  and  carry  us  through  all  temptations ; 
through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord,  Amen." 

Then  they  rose  up,  and  Mr.  Kincaid  led  his 
friend  out  into  the  public  hall,  and  there  they 
parted.  "  Good-by,  Jared !  God's  blessing  be  with 
you  !  "  was  uncle  Gabriel's  benediction. 

Jared  looked  up  at  the  bright  kindly  face  smil- 
ing down  at  him  over  the  banisters,  at  the  brown 
near-sighted  eyes  across  which  lay  an  undeniable 
moisture,  and  a  curious  sound  escaped  his  lips.  It 
was  intended  for  "  Good-by,"  but  was  really  a 
cross  between  a  grunt  and  a  groan. 

"  Poor  fellow  I  He  feels  the  parting !  "  thought 
the  little  clergyman  with  gratification  —  the  pro- 
tege was  not  given  to  emotion  —  and  he  went  back 
to  his  room  and  began  his  work  of  correcting  the 
dictionary  proofs  —  arduous  work,  of  a  kind  he 
particularly  disliked,  and  which  he  had  yet  cheer- 
fully undertaken  for  Jared's  sake. 


JARED  203 

Ponderously,  with  lagging  feet,  went  Jared  down 
the  stairs  he  had  so  often  trod.  Never  again  would 
he  go  up  them,  he  told  himself ;  at  that  very 
moment  he  turned  suddenly  and  retraced  a  step  or 
two,  then  hurriedly  and  impatiently  resumed  his 
downward  way.  At  the  door  of  the  house  he  again 
paused,  with  his  hand  on  the  knob,  swayed  by 
two  strong  emotions ;  the  expression  of  his  face 
frightened  a  little  child  who  ran  past  him.  "  He 
trusted  me  !  "  "  He  had  n'  ought  to  've  lef '  me 
there  —  he  knew  I  was  a  jail-bird !  "  Good  and 
evil  fought  within  the  man's  breast  —  and  pre- 
sently, with  an  awful  oath,  he  swung  the  door 
open,  and  striding  out  into  the  sweet  April  night 
was  lost  in  the  darkness. 

Evil  had  triumphed. 

Uncle  Gabriel  came  home  late  the  next  evening. 
The  dictionary  had  held  his  attention  for  the 
greater  part  of  the  day,  so  that  he  had  found  quite 
a  company  of  poor  Italians  awaiting  him  at  the 
river  office  when  he  finally  reached  there.  He 
had  listened  to  their  tales  of  woe,  no  less  volubly 
told  for  the  delay ;  had  counseled,  comforted,  and 
calmed  what  Francie  saucily  designated  as  his  "  con- 
stituents," settling  disputes,  encouraging  the  timid, 
and  in  general  straightening  out  difficulties.  He 
had  gone  to  a  restaurant  and  ordered  a  cheap 
dinner,  and  then  given  it,  untouched,  to  a  poor 
hungry  creature  who  eyed  him  wolfishly  from  the 
door.  Without  a  cent  in  his  pocket,  the  little  man 
had  walked  up  town,  and  now  had  reached  home, 


204  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

tired,  empty,  and  weighed  down  by  an  unusual  and 
unaccountable  depression  that  was  hardest  of  all 
to  bear. 

Frances  ran  down  a  couple  of  the  long  flights  of 
stairs  to  meet  Mr.  Kincaid.  "  Dear  blessed  old 
boy !  Him  looks  dreffle  tired !  "  she  declared ; 
standing  a  step  or  two  above  her  uncle,  she  turned 
his  face  up  between  her  hands,  and  kissed  him. 
"  Did  n't  have  a  thing  to  eat,  not  even  from  a 
lunch  wagon,  did  him  ?  I  thought  not !  You  're 
bad  —  yes,  you  are  —  bad !  —  not  to  take  better 
care  of  yourself  when  you  know  we  all  love  you. 
Never  mind,"  she  snuggled  her  piquante  little  face 
against  uncle  Gabe's  for  a  moment,  in  token  of 
forgiveness  ;  "  come  on  upstairs  with  me.  I  had 
a  feeling  that  you  'd  come  home  all  tired  out,  and 
I  've  just  cooked  you  a  little  supper  —  all  by  my 
own  self.  It's  waiting  for  you  —  a  nice  cup  of 
beef  tea  —  just  as  you  like  it  —  and  a  chop  —  brown 
and  juicy,  done  to  a  turn.  Does  n't  the  mere  hear- 
ing of  it  make  your  mouth  water  ?  And  you  '11  eat 
it  right  away,  won't  you  ?  " 

"  Why,  of  course  I  '11  eat  it  right  away  —  never 
you  fear !  "  laughed  uncle  Gabriel.  "  I  'm  as 
hungry  as  a  hunter.  Take  care,  or  I  '11  gobble  you 
up,  as  a  relish.  Ha !  ha !  "  They  were  going  up 
the  steps  together,  his  arm  around  Francie's  waist. 
"  Any  letters  for  me  ?  Anything  from  Jared  ?  " 
he  asked.  "  He  said  he  'd  post  a  line  in  time  for 
me  to  receive  it  by  the  last  delivery  this  evening." 

"  He 's  back  —  here  —  waiting  for  you.  And  lie 
looks  dreadfully !  "  Frances  whispered,  relieved 


JARED  205 

to  have  accomplished  her  errand.  "  Mother  sent 
me  to  tell  you  "  — 

Mr.  Kincaid  started  violently.  "  What !  Jared 
back?  What 're  you  saying?"  he  cried  in  con- 
sternation. Dashing  up  the  steps  he  reached  the 
public  hall,  and  came  face  to  face  with  his  protege. 
"  You  here,  Jared  !  What  does  this  mean  ?  "  de- 
manded uncle  Gabriel,  surprise  and  agitation  giv- 
ing an  unusual  peremptoriness  to  his  tone. 

Jared  hastily  put  out  an  appealing  hand ;  his 
other  hand  held  the  carpet-bag  which  he  had  car- 
ried the  night  before.  "  Parson,  let 's  go  where 
I  can  talk  to  you,"  he  begged  hoarsely,  and  one 
glance  at  his  drawn,  sodden  face,  his  desperate 
eyes  and  fierce  mouth,  completely  routed  Mr.  Kin- 
caid's  short-lived  anger. 

"  Certainly,  certainly,"  he  agreed.  "  Come  to 
my  room.  Francie,  run  and  open  the  other  door 
forme.  Eat?"  His  hunger  forgotten,  he  looked 
blank  at  his  niece's  reminder.  "  Oh !  —  yes,  by 
and  by,  by  and  by,  my  dear.  I  could  n't  now. 
Come,  Jared." 

When  the  two  men  were  in  Mr.  Kincaid's  little 
room  and  the  portiere  drawn,  Jared  sat  down 
heavily  in  the  chair  which  his  patron  silently 
pushed  toward  him,  and  opening  the  carpet-bag, 
drew  out  of  its  depths  the  overcoat  which  he  had 
packed  into  it  the  night  before.  With  this  in 
one  hand  and  the  bronze  match-box  in  the  other, 
he  looked  up  at  his  friend.  "  I  stole  these  las' 
night,"  he  said,  dully  doggedly.  "  Stole  'em 
from  you  while  you  was  out  of  the  room,  gettin' 


206  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

the  letter  of  interduction.  What  you  goin'  to  do 
'bout  it?" 

Uncle  Gabriel  threw  a  hasty  glance  at  the  closet 
within  which  he  had  supposed  his  coat  hung ; 
bewilderment,  incredulity,  deep  pain,  appeared  in 
rapid  succession  on  his  expressive  face. 

"  An'  I  stole  the  ten  dollars  out  of  the  pocket- 
book  in  the  drawer,"  went  on  Jared,  in  the  same 
dull  monotone.  "  What  you  goin'  to  do  'bout 
it?" 

With  shaking  fingers  Mr.  Kincaid  opened  the 
drawer,  opened  the  pocket-book,  and  hunted  through 
every  compartment.  It  was  empty.  He  turned 
and  faced  the  thief.  "  And  I  trusted  you  !  "  he 
said  sadly,  brokenly.  Sitting  down  on  the  bed,  he 
put  one  hand  before  his  eyes  ;  his  lips  were  moving, 
but  no  sound  came  from  them. 

Leaning  forward  in  his  chair,  Jared  watched 
uncle  Gabriel  intently ;  and  presently  it  entered 
into  his  dull  mind  to  comprehend  what  his  friend's 
quiet  meant.  "  He  's  prayin'  for  me  !  "  he  thought, 
with  a  heavy  start,  his  sodden  face  turning  a  dark 
red.  And  then  the  strange  Power  which  had  la-Id 
and  tormented  him  throughout  the  last  twenty-four 
hours,  and  finally  brought  him  again  to  his  long- 
suffering  friend,  now  forced  him  to  full  confession. 

"  Yes,  you  trusted  me !  "  he  broke  out,  when  he 
could  no  longer  bear  the  silence.  "  You  're  the 
only  person  what 's  ever  trusted  me,  the  only  one. 
An'  you  had  n'  ought  to  done  it.  You  knew  what 
I'd  been;,  you  should  n' 'vc  trustrd  im-  one  min- 
ute alone  with  anything  that  could  be  stole.  I  ain't 


JARED  207 

like  you  ;  I  ain't  one  of  the  good  kind,  though  I  've 
pretended  it  many  a  time  to  blind  you.  I  'm  a 
bad  egg  —  bad  as  ever  they  come  -  -  an'  you 
might 's  well  know  it  all.  I  did  n't  mean  to  go  to 
no  Denver."  He  saw  Mr.  Kincaid's  violent  start, 
but  went  doggedly  on  with  his  story,  pausing  now 
and  then  between  the  sentences.  "  I  meant  to  get 
all  the  money  I  could  out  of  you,  then  scoot  with 
it  —  go  on  a  tremendous  spree  —  an'  never  lay  eyes 
on  you  again.  .  .  .  When  you  lef '  me  alone  I  took 
all  I  could.  I  'd  've  got  more,  if  you  had  n'  come 
back  so  quick.  ...  I  intended  to  pawn  the  things 
soon  's  I  went  out,  but,  somehow,  I  did  n't,  I  kep' 
puttin'  it  off.  But  I  spent  a  good  pile  of  the 
money,  besides  the  ten  I  took  out  the  purse  ;  that 
went  first,  an'  what  you  gi'  me  for  meals  on  the 
cars,"-  the  peculiar  contortion  that  did  Jared  ser- 
vice for  a  smile  flashed  across  his  ugly  mouth  and 
was  gone.  "  I  e't  an'  I  drank  my  fill  —  for  once  ! 
I  went  to  the  theyater  —  I  made  a  night  of  it  — 
a  terrible  night !  An'  maybe  you  think  I  had  a 
tearin'  good  time  !  " 

Jared  rose  from  his  chair  ;  gripping  the  foot-rail 
of  the  bed  with  one  brawny  hand  on  which  the  big 
veins  stood  out,  he  waved  the  other  at  Mr.  Kin- 
caid  ;  his  heavy  face  worked  convulsively,  his  voice 
grew  thick  and  agitated.  "  Talk  about  your  hell 
punishment,"  he  cried,  "  there  can't  be  no  worse 
hell  than  I  carried  roun'  with  me  last  night  an'  to- 
day. I  've  done  worse  things  in  my  life  than  steal 
from  a  parson,  but  I  've  never  had  no  such  tor- 
ment here  to  contend  with,"  touching  his  breast. 


208  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

"  I  tried  to  get  away  from  it  —  I  ain't  used  to  bein' 
chicken-hearted  —  but  I  could  n'  —  I  could  n' ! 
That 's  why  I  come  back.  I  did  n'  want  to  come, 
but  I  had  to.  I  never  thought  that  all  you'd 
done  for  me,  every  kind  word  you  'd  spoke,  every 
prayer  you  'd  prayed  with  me,  every  cent  you  'd 
took  from  yourself  to  give  to  me  would  've  rose  up 
an'  tormented  me  like  it  done."  The  sorrowful 
gaze  of  his  friend  was  more  than  Jared  could  bear ; 
hastily  he  turned  his  own  eyes  away.  "  I  could  n' 
eat  enough,  I  could  n'  drink  enough,  no  matter 
how  much  I  poured  down,  to  forget  you !  I  could  n' 
pawn  your  overcoat,  I  could  n'  spen'  the  rest  of 
the  money.  Here  "  —  he  threw  the  bronze  match- 
box upon  the  bed  and  uncle  Gabriel's  overcoat 
after  it.  Then,  slowly,  reluctantly,  —  only  God 
could  know  at  what  struggle,  —  he  laid  beside 
them  all  that  was  left  of  the  roll  of  bills,  his 
friend's  gift  of  the  night  before.  "That's  the 
best  I  can  do,"  he  said  gruffly.  "  Now,  I  '11  be  off. 
You  won't  want  no  such  devil's  spawn 's  I  am 
round  you  again."  Picking  up  the  carpet-bag,  he 
pushed  aside  the  portiere  to  go  out,  but  Mr.  Kin- 
caid's  hand  arrested  him. 

A  kindness  that  was  divine  shone  in  the  little 
gentleman's  eyes,  and  sounded  in  his  voice.  "  You 
are  the  child,  not  of  the  devil,  but  of  God,  Jared, 
sinful  and  erring;  but  always  the  child  of 
God!  Don't  you  ever  forget  that!  He  would 
never  refuse  forgiveness  to  one  of  his  penitent 
children;  and  how  should  I  dare  drny  to  you  the 
forgiveness  that  I  ask  of  Him  for  myself  every 


JARED  209 

day?  I  forgive  you,  Jared,  for  I  believe  you  to 
be  truly  sorry  for  what  you've  done." 

"  Sorry  ?  "  cried  Jared  vehemently ;  his  heavy 
under  lip  shook.  "  Parson,  I  've  never  been  so 
sorry  for  anything  I  done  in  all  my  life !  You 
might  know  —  when  I  come  back !  "  His  gesture 
toward  the  articles  on  the  bed  spoke  volumes. 

"  Suppose  that  matter  could  be  arranged  —  just 
suppose  it  were  possible  —  would  you  go  to  Den- 
ver and  try  to  make  a  better  name  for  yourself  ?  " 
Mr.  Kincaid  asked  slowly. 

Jared  made  an  impatient  movement.  "  No  sense 
bringiu'  that  up,  parson.  I  've  had  my  chance  an' 
lost  it,"  he  answered  roughly.  "  We  won'  say  any 
more  'bout  that." 

"Yes,  but  we  will,"  gently  persisted  uncle  Ga- 
briel. "  I  have  no  more  money  of  my  own  —  not  a 
cent ;  but,  perhaps, perhaps,  I  could  borrow  enough 
to  —  er  —  make  up  what  is  missing.  So  that  you 
might  still  go  out  and  fill  the  situation." 

The  protege's  jaw  dropped,  he  made  a  step  for- 
ward. "  What!  you  'd  do  this  for  me,  after  what 
I  done  ?  "  he  cried  out  incredulously. 

Uncle  Gabriel  nodded;  tears  were  in  his  eyes. 
"  You  've  been  an  under  dog  all  your  life ;  now 
I  want  you  to  have  the  chance  to  be  something 
better,"  he  said. 

"  Good  Lord  !  "  ejaculated  Jared.  Dropping 
into  a  chair,  he  laid  his  arms  on  Mr.  Kincaid's 
table  and  buried  his  face  in  them ;  several  heavy 
sobs  shook  his  big  frame. 

"  If  I  do  this,  can  I  trust  you  to  make  honest 


210  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

use  of  the  opportunity  ? "  asked  uncle  Gabriel 
presently. 

Jared  lifted  his  face.  All  his  stolid  composure 
was  gone ;  his  eyes  were  wet,  and  the  heavy  lips 
and  chin  worked  with  emotion.  "  Ay,  parson, 
you  can !  "  he  cried  hoarsely,  striking  his  hand  on 
the  table  to  lend  emphasis  to  the  words.  "  I  '11 
force,  myself  to  be  trusted !  I  'd  be  worse  'n  a 
brute  beast,  if  I  did  n'  make  you  some  returns  for 
all  you  've  done  for  me !  Gi'  me  this  one  chance 
more,  an'  le'  me  show  you  what  I  can  do.  I  '11  pay 
you  the  money  I  stole,  I  will  —  I  will !  I  '11 
pay  you  back  every  cent,  an'  I  '11  try  —  harder  'n 
I  ever  tried  before  —  to  be  honest.  Only,"  his 
hands  went  out  imploringly,  —  "  only  don'  let  'em 
put  me  where  I  '11  handle  money ;  there  's  a  devil 
in  here  as  well 's  a  heart !  "  motioning  to  his  breast. 
"Keep  money  out  of  my  way,  an'  I  swear,"  he 
lifted  one  big  brawny  shaking  hand,  —  "I  swear 
to  you,  not  by  God,  parson  —  I  've  broke  too  many 
promises  of  that  sort  —  but  by  the  memory  of  the 
only  creature  in  the  world  that  I  never  ill-treated, 
never  wronged  —  by  the  memory  of  my  liT  baby 
girl  that  died  years  ago."  Two  big  tears  ran  down 
Jared's  face.  "  She  loved  me,  that  liT  thing, 
an'  I  never  laid  a  rough  finger  on  her.  I  'd  'a'  gi'n 
my  life  to  save  hers,  but  she  had  to  go.  Annie  is 
the  best  I  know,  parson,  an'  I  swear  to  you  by  her 
that  I  '11  try  to  live  honest  if  I  ever  get  to  Denver. 
You  can  ask  your  God  to  help  me,  parson  "  — 

"  My  God,  and  your  God,  too,  Jared,"  came 
in  the  little  gentleman's  earnest,  hopeful  voice. 


JARED  211 

"  Have  courage,  my  friend ;  and  have  faith  in 
His  mercy.  The  Christ  who,  in  the  midst  of  His 
own  agony,  yet  heard  and  pardoned  the  penitent 
thief,  will  never  turn  from  you.  And,  if  it  be 
allowed  in  the  other  world,  don't  you  think  your 
little  Annie  is  pleading  for  you?  Come,  friend, 
let  us  lift  our  hearts  to  Him."  Kneeling  down 
beside  Jared,  with  an  arm  thrown  across  the  man's 
bowed  shoulders,  uncle  Gabriel  poured  out  his 
soul  in  prayer.  And  the  deep  fervor,  the  simple 
speech,  and  childlike,  absolute  faith  in  the  mercy 
and  love  of  God,  in  the  human  sympathy  of 
Christ,  brought  a  light  into  the  soul  of  the  poor 
sinner  in  whose  behalf  the  prayer  was  offered. 

The  noon  train  which  left  the  city  the  next  day 
for  the  West  bore  with  it  Jared  Watkins,  taking 
with  him  uncle  Gabriel's  blessing,  an  unfamiliar 
sense  of  respectability,  and  in  his  heart  a  new 
hope  which,  with  God's  help,  would  bear  fruit  in 
the  future. 


CHAPTER  XII 

"  IN   THE   DAY'S   JOURNEY  " 

"  THEN  it  is  understood  that  I  am  to  have  both 
Margaret  and  Ruth,"  Miss  Austin  said,  as  she  rose 
to  end  her  visit  with  Mrs.  Jeffrey.  "  I  'm  sorry  to 
separate  the  twins,"  she  added,  smiling,  "  but  it  '11 
be  for  only  a  week  or  ten  days,  and,  as  you  say, 
Judith  could  not  leave  her  duties  just  now.  Our 
country  place  is  most  beautiful  in  May ;  and  some 
very  charming  people  will  be  in  the  house  party,  so 
I  can  promise  the  girls  a  fine  time." 

"  You  are  exceedingly  kind  to  give  them  this 
pleasure,"  remarked  Mrs.  Jeffrey ;  and  "  You 
know,  Miss  Austin,  our  things  —  Mamie's  and  my 
clothes  —  are  very  plain  and  simple,"  added  Rufie, 
in  her  honest,  downright  fashion,  and  somewhat 
anxiously. 

Miss  Austin's  smile  broadened.  "Don't  be 
troubled  about  that,  Ruth,"  she  said.  "  Were  you 
dressed  in  rags,  one  might  look  in  your  eyes  and 
forget  them  all !  Now,  then,"  patting  the  shoulder 
of  the  blushing  girl,  "  run  and  find  Margaret  for 
me,  will  you?  Remind  her  that  I'm  waiting  to 
carry  her  off  with  me  for  the  day." 

"It's  settled  —  mother  says  \vc  may  go!  And 
Miss  Austin  is  waiting  for  you  to  go  to  Washing- 


IN  THE  DAY'S  JOURNEY  213 

ton  Square  and  spend  the  day.  We  're  to  start  for 
Lenox  the  end  of  this  week,"  announced  Ruth,  with 
most  unusual  excitement  in  voice  and  manner,  as 
she  sailed  into  the  room  where  were  Margaret  and 
Frances.  "  Miss  Austin  does  n't  mind  our  things 
being  plain,  and  she  says  we  '11  have  a  lovely  time  ! 
Why,  are  n't  you  glad  ? "  she  asked,  her  eyes 
opening  wide  at  the  expression  of  her  eldest  sister's 
face. 

Margaret  was  pinning  on  her  hat,  but  now  with 
an  impatient  jerk  she  caught  the  "  sailor "  from 
her  head,  and  tossed  it  on  the  bed. 

"  No,  I  'm  not  glad !  I  don't  want  to  go  one 
step.  And  I  don't  want  to  go  to  Washington 
Square  to-day  either,"  she  declared,  with  consider- 
able emphasis.  Sitting  down  suddenly,  she  stared 
gloomily  at  the  floor,  supporting  her  face  in  her 
hand  —  a  face  that  of  late  had  lost  much  of  its 
roundness.  The  peach  bloom  of  her  cheeks  was 
paler,  too ;  the  brilliant  eyes  were  more  brilliant 
than  of  old  because  of  the  dark  shadows  which  con- 
tinually lay  under  them,  and  yet  with  an  expression 
in  their  depths  now  and  then  that  was  wistful,  trou- 
bled, almost  pathetic,  and  quite  unlike  Margaret. 

"  I  don't  want  to  go !  And  I  wish  she  would  n't 
keep  inviting  me  to  Washington  Square,"  repeated 
Marnie,  twisting  her  shoulders  pettishly. 

Frances  and  Ruth  opened  their  eyes  at  one 
another. 

"  Why,  Mr.  Austin  's  there,  and  you  're  going  to 
marry  him.  I  should  think  you  'd  like  to  be  where 
he  was,"  remarked  Rufie  bluntly.  "I  thought 


214  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

people  that  loved  each  other  —  engaged  people  — 
always  wanted  to  be  together.  I  'm  sure  Jim  used 
to  look  overjoyed  "  — 

"Don't!"  cried  Margaret  sharply,  throwing 
out  her  hand  —  "  talk  such  nonsense  !  "  she  added, 
to  cover  her  first  exclamation.  Springing  up,  she 
hastily  pinned  on  her  hat.  "  You  're  talking  the 
silliest!  of  what  you  know  nothing  at  all  about. 
I  do  wish  you  'd  all  leave  my  affairs  alone,"  she 
said  irritably.  "  I  declare,  I  'd  like  to  run  away 
somewhere,  where  I  would  n't  see  a  creature  I  knew 
—  some  far-away  place  where  people  could  n't  be 
forever  tormenting  me  !  "  Snatching  up  her  gloves, 
Margaret  walked  stiffly  to  the  door,  but  there 
turned  and  looked  penitently  at  the  two  she  had 
just  scolded.  "  Girls,  I  am  the  Grossest  thing ! 
Don't  mind  what  I  said,"  she  begged ;  then  went 
off  to  join  Miss  Austin. 

"  What 's  the  trouble  ?  Do  you  suppose  she 
does  n't  care  for  him  any  more?"  solemnly  asked 
Eufie,  as  Margaret  disappeared. 

"  Oh,  she  must ;  did  n't  she  give  up  Jim  for  him 
— dear  old  Jim  who  loved  her  so  faithfully !  " 
Frances  answered.  "  I  think  it 's  so  queer  that 
she  shoidd  prefer  Mr.  Austin,"  she  continued 
thoughtfully.  "  Of  course  he  's  very  nice  ;  and  he 
does  give  Mamie  the  most  beautiful  presents ! 
but  —  well,  to  my  mind  he  does  n't  seems  at  all 
the  sort  of  person  for  her.  He  is  so  stiff  —  so 
formal  with  her  —  and  she  with  him;  positively 
she  acts  most  of  the  time  as  if  she  were  afraid 
she  'd  do  or  say  something  that  he  would  be 


IN  THE  DAY'S  JOURNEY  215 

shocked  at.     People  that  love  each  other  don't  act 
that  way." 

"  You  and  Ursula  don't  care  for  Mr.  Austin, 
and  Judy  only  likes  him  since  he  fell  in  with  her 
playground  scheme.  Mother  is  most  polite  to  him, 
but  she  loved  Jim.  I  know  uncle  Gabe  would  n't 
break  his  heart  if  Mr.  Austin  never  came  here 
again.  Nobody  in  the  family  cares  for  the  poor 
man  —  but  I  do.  I  think  he 's  very  nice  !  "  de- 
clared Ruth  sturdily.  "  He  does  n't  seem  half  so 
old  to  me  as  he  did  at  first ;  and  he  is  certainly 
very  kind !  Think  of  his  giving  those  houses  for 
the  playground,  and  of  his  interesting  other  people 
to  give  more  houses,  so  as  to  have  a  large  space. 
And  of  the  money  he 's  collecting  to  begin  the 
work  with !  Do  we  know  any  other  person  that 
would  Ve  done  all  that  ?  And  another  thing  "  — 
she  turned  her  gray  eyes  searchingly  upon  Frances 

—  "  what  do  you  know  about  people  being  in  love  ? 
Or  how  they  should  act  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  ;  but  I  can  suppose  —  can't  I  ?  " 
retorted  the  "  youngest,"  with  a  sudden  accession 
of  color. 

"  H  'm !  "  remarked  Rufie  suspiciously.  She  had 
no  secrets  herself,  and  was  inclined  to  be  jealously 
averse  to  any  reservation  of  confidence  between 
sisters.  Frances  was  well  aware  of  this  little  weak- 
ness ;  and  now,  anxious  to  avert  further  question- 
ings and  to  restore  good  humor,  she  leaned  forward 
and  became  confidential.  "  I  '11  tell  you  a  secret 

—  not  a  creature  but  mother  knows  it.     I  got  a 
letter  this  morning  from  Mr.  Custis,  —  you  know, 


216  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

the  organist  of  our  church,  —  and  what  do  you 
think !  He  asks  me  to  come  over  to  the  church 
this  afternoon  and  sing  for  him  !  He  wants  to 
hear  my  voice.  And  if  it  suits  him,  he  may  give 
me  a  position  in  the  choir !  Would  n't  I  be  the 
luckiest  girl  if  I  secured  that !  I  do  get  so  tired  of 
being  a  sponge  upon  my  sisters  —  Ugh  !  please 
don't  gobble  me  quite  up,  Miss  Ogre !  "  pretending 
to  shiver  with  fright  before  Ruth's  indignant  ex- 
pression. "  I  've  been  fairly  pining  to  ask  Mr. 
Custis  to  try  my  voice  ;  but  I  could  n't  get  up  the 
assurance  to  approach  him.  And  now  if  he  has  n't 
done  the  asking  himself !  This  is  my  opportunity 
—  if  only  I  don't  get  frightened  almost  out  of  my 
wits,  and  quite  out  of  my  voice  !  " 

"  Mr.  Custis  is  n't  acquainted  with  us  —  how 
do  you  suppose  he  came  to  send  for  you  ?  "  asked 
Rufie,  with  interest. 

Frances  nodded  wisely.  "I  —  mother  and  I 
think  that,  perhaps,  it  may  've  come  through  Jack 
Rose — Mr.  Rose.  The  Roses  go  to  our  church, 
and  Ja — Mr.  Rose  used  to  be  in  the  choir;  he 
knows  Mr.  Custis.  See?" 

"  He  is  another  very  kind  man,  that  Mr.  Rose," 
decided  Ruth.  "  He  got  you  that  arranging  of 
Mrs.  Erveng's  rooms ;  he  helped  uncle  Gabriel  to 
send  that  man  Jared  off  to  Denver  ;  he  took  Ursa's 
novel  to  his  own  publishers ;  and  I  should  n't 
wonder  at  all  if  he  were  at  the  bottom  of  this,  as 
you  say.  I  like  him,  too,  though  he  is  so  quiet." 

"Quiet !  "  exclaimed  Frances  in  surprise.  "  Why, 
he 's  never  seemed  so  very  quiet  to  me.  He  talks 


IN  THE  DAY'S  JOURNEY  217 

quite  enough !  "  she  added,  with  a  slight  lifting  of 
the  head,  "  as  if,"  so  Ruth  told  Judy  later,  —  "  as 
if  I  'd  said  something  against  him !  "  "  And 
think  how  clever  he  is,  Ruth,  and  so  modest  with 
it !  Ursula  says  he  is  of  a  great  deal  of  impor- 
tance in  the  office,  and  we  know  what  his  books 
are.  /  think  it  is  an  honor  to  have  such  a  man  for 
a  friend  !  "  Francie's  cheeks  were  warm ;  and  to 
carry  off  her  embarrassment  and  blushes  she  hastily 
caught  up  a  piece  of  Ruth's  sewing  that  was  lying 
on  the  bed.  "  Come  on  out  in  the  dining-room,  and 
I  '11  help  you  with  this  gown,"  she  offered.  "  I  've 
a  little  time  to  spare  before  I  begin  practicing. 
I  'm  not  due  at  the  church  until  a  quarter  past 
five.  If  you  and  Margaret  are  to  go  to  Lenox  at 
the  end  of  this  week,  we  '11  all  have  to  help  get  you 
ready." 

"  Oh,  we  're  not  going  to  make  any  desperate 
effort,"  Rufie  said,  with  calm  decision.  "  Miss 
Austin  understands  that  we  can't  afford  to  dress 
as  fashionable  people  do.  Is  n't  it  perfectly  sweet 
of  her  to  include  me  in  the  invitation  as  well  as 
Mamie  ?  " 

Prompt  to  the  minute  of  the  time  Mr.  Custis 
had  appointed,  Frances  arrived  at  the  old  brown 
church  across  the  square.  By  her  own  choice  she 
went  alone.  "  I  'd  so  much  rather  not  have  any  of 
the  family  along,  mother,"  she  had  urged.  "  I  am, 
dreadfully  nervous  now,  and  I  know  't  would  make 
me  still  more  nervous  to  have  one  of  you  dear 
people  sitting  there  listening  to  me  and  just  on  the 


218  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

quiver  lest  I  should  fail.  Of  course  it 's  silly  to 
feel  so  —  but  just  let  me  have  my  way  to-day, 
won't  you?  Mr.  Custis  said  his  wife  would  be  at 
the  church ;  and  she  '11  be  enough."  And  with  a 
very  brave  and  independent  front,  but  thumping 
heart,  the  young  lady  had  started  out  on  her  ven- 
ture. 

On  reaching  the  church  Frances  found  that  hers 
was  not  the  only  voice  Mr.  Custis  was  to  try  that 
afternoon.  And  as  she  sat  in  the  organist's  cosy 
office  listening  to  the  clear,  strong  notes  that 
floated  in  from  the  choir-stalls,  a  cloud  of  intense 
self  -  depreciation  settled  down  upon  her.  She 
hardly  heard  Mrs.  Custis's  friendly  remarks ;  and 
when,  after  a  while,  the  organist  came  in  and  said 
pleasantly,  "  Now,  Miss  Jeffrey,  it  is  your  turn  ; 
will  you  step  into  the  church  ?  "  Frances  felt  as 
if  her  feet  could  scarcely  take  her  there. 

"  Do  you  really  think  there  's  any  use  in  my 
attempting  to  sing  this  afternoon?"  she  asked 
despairingly.  "  At  my  very  loudest  I  could  n't 
sing  as  that  lady  did  who  has  just  gone  out.  And 
I  hate  to  take  your  time  for  nothing."  All  the 
saucy  brightness  was  gone  out  of  her  face,  it  was 
white,  her  eyes  were  beseeching,  her  lips  dry  and 
trembling  —  indeed,  she  was  trembling  from  head 
to  foot. 

"  It  may  be  just  as  well  for  you  that  your  voice 
is  n't  like  that  lady's,"  Mr.  Custis  said  dryly, 
turning  over  the  music  Francie  had  brought  with 
her.  "  Don't  feel  that  this  is  your  only  opportu- 
nity of  singing  for  ine,"  he  added  kindly,  to 


IN   THE  DAY'S  JOURNEY  219 

reassure  her.  "  If  you  fail  to-day,  you  can  come 
again,  and  again.  Just  take  a  seat  in  that  stall 
while  I  play  over  this  voluntary."  He  did  this 
to  give  her  time  to  collect  herself.  "  I  '11  be  at 
your  service  in  a  few  moments." 

The  "  voluntary  "  was  the  adagio  from  Beetho- 
ven's Fifth  Symphony ;  and  as  Frances  sat  listen- 
ing to  the  noble  strains,  her  courage  returned.  She 
thought  of  those  at  home,  to  whom  her  success 
meant  so  much.  "  I  owe  it  to  them  to  do  well," 
she  thought,  reasoning  herself  into  confidence, 
gazing  absently  down  into  the  body  of  the  church, 
where  the  afternoon  shadows  were  fast  gathering 
.and  shrouding  the  pews  in  soft  mysterious  dark- 
ness. "  They  've  all  been  so  generous,  so  dear  to 
me  !  And  I  've  always  wanted  to  sing  in  church." 
Her  fingers  went  over  her  eyes  for  a  few  minutes  ; 
her  head  bowed.  And  when,  as  the  last  note  of 
the  adagio  died  away,  Mr.  Custis  asked,  "  Do  you 
know  Dyke's  arrangement  of  '  Lead,  Kindly 
Light '  ?  Could  you  sing  it  ?  "  Francie  immedi- 
ately rose  and  held  out  her  hand  for  the  music. 

"I'll  try  to  sing  it,"  she  said,  with  a  brave 
attempt  at  her  own  bright  smile. 

The  hymn  was  a  favorite  at  home,  she  knew  the 
music  by  heart,  and  with  the  sheets  drooping 
limply  over  the  hands  clasped  before  her,  she  stood 
and  sang  to  the  empty  pews. 

Francie's  voice  was  of  exceptional  timbre,  and 
sweet  to  the  highest  note,  full,  flexible,  and  true, 
possessing  the  dramatic  quality,  and,  as  well,  that 
rarer  quality  of  magnetic,  personal  sympathy  with- 


220  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

out  which  no  voice,  however  wide  its  range,  is  per- 
fect. 

In  the  opening  lines  a  tremor  betrayed  that  ner- 
vousness still  lingered  with  the  singer,  but  the  dear 
familiar  words  brought  confidence,  and  soon  all 
but  the  sheer  delight  of  expression  was  forgotten. 
Up  and  up  soared  the  clear  young  voice,  filling 
every  corner  of  the  building  with  its  pure  melody, 
falling  upon  the  greedy  ears  of  a  listener  who  had 
slipped  into  a  pew  near  the  door,  and  delighting 
the  critical,  difficult  taste  of  the  organist. 

Mr.  Custis  followed  every  note  with  the  interest 
and  growing  excitement  of  the  "  born "  choir- 
master over  a  musical  "find,"  a  rara  avis,  than 
which  there  is  none  more  eager.  While  Frances 
with  all  the  fervor  and  worship  of  her  heart  was 
singing,  — 

..."  remember  not  past  years. 
So  long  Thy  power  has  blest  me,  sure  it  still 

Will  lead  me  on 
O'er  moor  and  fen,  o'er  crag  and  torrent,  till 

The  night  is  gone, 

And  with  the  morn  those  angel  faces  smile, 
Which  I  have  loved  long  since,  and  lost  awhile." 

Mr.  Custis's  brain  was  busy  with  her  future  — 
training,  advising  her,  selecting  solos  which  would 
call  out  the  beauty  of  her  voice,  and,  in  fancy, 
hearing  her  sing  them,  in  that  very  stall  in  which 
she  now  stood. 

He  was  delighted  with  Francie's  rendering  of 
the  hymn,  but  when  it  was  finished  and  she  turned 
to  him  with  wistful,  questioning  eyes  which  it  was 
hard  to  resist,  his  only  answer  was,  "  Now,  sing 


IN  THE  DAY'S  JOURNEY  221 

this,"  in  a  tone  so  business-like  and  non-committal 
that  the  poor  child's  heart  sank.  "  This  "  proved 
to  be  Mascheroni's  "  For  all  Eternity ; "  several 
other  pieces  followed,  and  a  trial  of  reading  at 
sight.  Frances  had  been  well  taught,  and  she  did 
her  best,  though  always  handicapped  by  the  con- 
viction that  she  was  doing  her  worst.  Mr.  Cus- 
tis's  remarks,  therefore,  when  the  test  was  over 
and  they  were  once  more  in  the  choir-room,  were 
an  overwhelming  surprise.  The  choir-master  was 
a  tall  man,  with  the  fine-cut  features,  proud  yet 
gentle  air,  and  noble  bearing  that  one  is  apt  to 
attribute  to  the  knights  of  old  —  a  Percevale  or 
Galahad.  And  the  soul  within  was  exceptionally 
upright  and  pure,  ever  filled  with  the  chivalry  and 
kindly  courtesy  of  one  who  was  a  follower  of  a 
greater,  nobler  King  than  Arthur. 

"  Miss  Jeffrey,  you  have  a  beautiful  voice !  I 
am  delighted  with  it !  "  he  said,  smiling  down  into 
the  anxious  face  with  which  Frances  awaited  his 
opinion.  "  You  are  very  young  yet ;  put  in  some 
years  of  steady,  unremitting  study  and  hard  work, 
and  with  good  health,  I  have  no  doubt  whatever 
that  your  voice  will  one  day  bring  you  fame  and 
a  fortune.  In  the  mean  time,  I  should  like  to  have 
you  in  my  choir.  As  our  appropriation  for  music 
is  not  large,  I  cannot  offer  you  more  than  four 
hundred  dollars  a  year.  This,  I  know,  is  less  than 
your  voice  deserves  ;  but  perhaps  the  training  and 
experience  which  you  would  gain  here  may  count 
for  something.  You  may  be  sure  that  I  shall  give 
you  the  benefit  of  every  advantage  in  my  power,'* 


222  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

he  added  warmly,  "though  " — again  smiling — "I 
don't  expect  to  be  able  to  keep  you  here  by  and 
by,  when  better  offers  begin  to  come  to  you  —  as 
they  certainly  will." 

But  Frances  scarcely  heard  his  last  remarks. 
"  Oh !  "  she  exclaimed,  with  a  gasp  of  delighted 
astonishment.  "  Four  hundred  dollars !  Why, 
Mr.  Custis,  I  think  that  is  a  great  deal !  Oh,  this 
is  splendid  !  "  The  blood  came  glowing  into  her 
cheeks,  her  eyes  sparkled,  and  all  her  even  white 
teeth  flashed  into  view  as  she  threw  back  her  head 
in  a  laugh,  so  happy  and  contagious  that,  with  a 
merry  glance  at  each  other,  the  organist  and  his 
wife  followed  suit. 

"  I  never  expected  this  ;  I  thought  I  was  sing- 
ing so  badly  !  "  Frances  said  joyously  ;  then, 
coming  back  to  a  sense  of  Mr.  Custis's  offer  :  "  I 
should  be  very,  very  glad  to  sing  here,  and  I  think 
I  will.  But,  of  course,"  with  a  bright,  appealing 
glance  at  her  new  friend,  "  I  could  n't  decide  upon 
that  before  talking  it  over  with  mother  and  my 
uncle.  I  know  they  '11  be  delighted !  "  Again  her 
mouth  was  all  a-smile.  "  And  I  will  write  to  you 
very  soon  about  it,  Mr.  Custis.  You  've  been  so 
kind  and  patient  with  me !  "  she  finished  grate- 
fully. Then  Mr.  Custis  and  his  wife  returned  to 
the  office,  and  Francie  made  her  way  through  the 
church  to  the  door,  in  her  delight  hardly  knowing 
if  she  were  carried  along  by  feet  or  wings. 

In  the  vestibule  she  turned  back  and  knelt  for 
a  few  minutes  in  a  dark  corner  of  one  of  the  pews. 
And  while  the  girl's  head  was  bowed  upon  her 


IN  THE   DAY'S  JOURNEY  223 

hands,  a  shadowy  occupant  of  another  pew  not  far 
away  arose  and  slipped  noiselessly  out  of  the 
church.  In  the  light  of  the  May  afternoon  the 
shadow  resolved  itself  into  a  very  substantial  man, 
wearing  gray  clothes  and  a  gray  soft  hat.  The  hat 
shaded  a  shrewd  hard  face,  and  was  doffed  with 
some  grace  when  its  wearer  advanced  and  met 
Frances  at  the  foot  of  the  church  steps. 

"  Excuse  the  liberty  I  take  in  addressing  you," 
he  hastened  to  say  suavely,  as  the  girl  drew  aside 
from  him  with  a  startled  face.  "  I  've  just  had 
the  pleasure  of  hearing  you  sing,"  —  he  motioned 
to  the  church,  —  "  and  I  'd  very  much  like  to  have 
a  little  conversation  with  you  about  your  voice.  I 
will  not  detain  you  long." 

Her  one  swift  glance  at  the  man's  face  had  not 
pleased  Frances.  "  You  are  a  stranger  to  me  ; 
and  I  prefer  not  to  talk  with  you  about  my  voice," 
she  said,  with  a  bluntness  that  would  have  done 
credit  to  Rufie  ;  and  straightening  her  slim  young 
figure,  she  marched  rapidly  past  him,  into  the  little 
park  that  lies  before  the  church.  But  ere  she 
reached  the  tulip-bordered  fountain,  her  new  ac- 
quaintance was  beside  her. 

"  I  beg  that  you  will  listen  to  me  —  for  your 
own  interest,"  he  urged.  Then,  finding  that  Fran- 
ces would  neither  take  nor  look  at  the  card  he  held 
out,  he  proceeded  to  introduce  himself  and  state 
his  object  as  briefly  as  possible.  "  Harwood  is  my 
name  —  Townley  B.  Harwood.  I  'm  well  known 
in  this  city,  and  am  especially  interested  in  musical 
matters.  I  'm  bringing  out  a  new  light  opera  very 


224  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

soon,  and  your  voice  would  suit  the  leading1  part  to 
a  T.  I  could  get  any  number  of  fine  sopranos,  — 
they're  not  scarce,  —  but  your  voice  is  just  about 
what  I  want ;  and  I  'd  like  to  make  you  an  offer. 
I  'm  a  perfectly  respectable  man,  I  assure  you, 
miss  ;  I  could  bring  you  piles  of  references  —  from 
the  very  best  people  in  New  York.  And  I  'm  in  a 
position  to  make  you  a  very  liberal  offer.  That 's 
my  style,  miss ;  I  believe  in  *  live  and  let  live.' 
I  '11  make  you  a  liberal  offer,  and  I  '11  bring  you 
before  the  public  in  a  way  to  insure  your  fortune. 
That's  what  I '11  do!" 

Francie  slackened  her  pace,  and  threw  a  half 
glance  at  Mr.  Harwood.  "  I  'm  much  obliged  for 
your  offer,"  she  said  politely  ;  "  but  I  can't  accept 
it.  I  am  going  to  sing  in  a  church." 

"  In  a  church  !  "  cried  the  musical  dii'ector,  with 
an  air  of  such  utter  incredulity  as  quite  impressed 
his  audience.  "  With  your  voice,  content  yourself 
with  singing  in  a  church !  Why,  miss,  that  would 
be  doing  an  injustice  to  yourself  and  the  world. 
On  the  stage  is  where  you  belong  —  the  operatic 
stage.  Why,  with  that  voice  you  'd  have  the 
easiest  kind  of  a  walkover  to  world-wide  fame, 
not  to  mention  a  tremendous  fortune.  If  }*ou 
are  n't  ambitious  for  yourself,  just  think  of  your 
relatives,"  urged  this  Machiavelian  musician. 
"  Maybe  you  've  got  a  mother  ;  now,  would  n't  she 
take  big  pride  in  your  success?  for  successful 
you  're  bound  to  be.  Maybe  you  've  got  other 
family  ;  think  of  all  you  would  do  for  them  with 
the  gold  that  'd  pour  into  your  lap !  And  give  up 


IN  THE  DAY'S  JOURNEY  225 

all  that  to  sing  in  a  church,  like  anybody  with  a 
tuppenny  whistle  of  a  voice,  and  for  a  paltry  two 
or  three  hundred  a  year !  Churches  never  pay 
liberally.  Why,  't  would  be  wicked  —  sheer,  reck- 
less wickedness  —  that 's  what  'twould  be!  "  He 
grew  quite  heated,  nevertheless  keeping  a  wary  eye 
on  the  prize  he  was  so  anxious  to  secure. 

"  Oh,  I  am  to  get  more  than  that !  I  'm  to  get 
four  hundred  !  "  cried  Frances  proudly  ;  eager  to 
defend  Mr.  Custis  and  her  beloved  church  from 
the  imputation  of  stinginess. 

"  Ah,  really !  how  generous  !  "  remarked  Mr. 
Harwood  scornfully.  "  D'  you  know  what  /  am 
offering  you  ?  —  thirty -five  dollars  a  week  to  sing 
three  evenings  in  the  week !  D'  you  know  how 
much  that  is  a  year  ?  Over  eighteen  hundred  dol- 
lars !  Compare  that  with  four  hundred." 

He  caught  a  glimpse  of  Francie's  astonished 
face,  and  quickly  followed  up  his  advantage. 
*'  And  just  as  soon  as  we  see  what  you  can  do  — 
I  know  you  '11  do  well  —  I  '11  give  you  more  pay ; 
forty,  maybe  fifty  dollars  a  week.  I  tell  you  I  'm 
a  liberal  man,  you  could  n't  get  into  better  hands. 
Fifty  dollars  a  week  'd  be  two  thousand,  six  hun- 
dred a  year  —  a  little  fortune  in  itself !  You  'd 
soon  get  rich.  And  from  the  light  opera  on 
you  '11  go  to  grand  opera  —  become  another  great 
American  prima  donna,  like  Eames  and  Nordica 
—  in  Parsifal,  Faust,  Lohengrin."  He  paused, 
with  a  sly,  self-congratulatory  chuckle. 

He  had  struck  a  note  that  stirred  Francie's  blood 
until  it  bounded  through  her  veins,  that  gave  dis- 


226  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

tinct  form  to  what  had  been  vague,  almost  uncon- 
scious longings  on  her  part,  and  roused  into  full 
clamorous  life  all  the  strong  dramatic  instincts  of 
her  nature. 

"  What  would  you  require  me  to  do  ?  "  she  de- 
manded breathlessly,  wheeling  round  upon  Mr. 
Harwood. 

The  musical  director  was  an  old  stager.  Full 
well  he  knew  the  irresistible  combination  which 
that  brilliant  vivid  little  face  and  warm  eager 
personality  would  prove  with  Francie's  fine  voice ; 
and  with  this  first  distinct  sight  of  his  incipient 
prima  donna,  he  congratulated  himself  anew  on 
his  luck  in  having  "  discovered  "  her. 

"  You  would  n't  have  to  do  much,"  he  hastily 
replied  to  Francie's  inquiry ;  "  just  to  sing  three 
evenings  in  the  week  —  Mondays,  Wednesdays,  and 
Fridays  ;  we  alternate  with  another  opera.  Three 
times  a  week  —  that 's  all.  And  I  'm  sure  singing 
comes  as  easy  as  dancing,  to  you."  Then  he  gave 
a  few  particulars,  but  with  such  reservations,  such 
adroit  prevarication,  and  instant  acquiescence  to  all 
objections  raised,  that  in  the  end  Frances  was  left 
with  a  confused  impression  that  was  very  far  from 
the  truth. 

"  I  know  you  '11  never  regret  it,  my  dear  young 
lady,"  the  opera-bouffe  manager  said  unctuously. 
"  One  of  these  days,  before  very  long,  you  '11  be 
telling  me,  '  Mr.  Harwood,  you  're  my  best 
friend ! '  See  if  you  don't !  Now,  miss,  if  you  '11 
kindly  give  me  your  imnie  and  adiln-ss,"  lie  drew 
out  his  notebook.  "  There  '11  have  to  be  a  little 


IN  THE  DAY'S  JOURNEY  227 

agreement  between  us  —  just  a  form  —  a  mere 
form,"  with  an  airy  wave  of  his  hand,  "  and  I  'd 
like  to  know  where  to  send  it  to  you." 

"  I  did  want  to  do  some  good  with  my  voice," 
Frances  said  wistfully,  wavering  between  two  de- 
sires as  she  glanced  across  at  the  old  brown 
church. 

"  Good !  "  repeated  Mr.  Harwood,  apparently 
in  the  greatest  surprise.  "  Why,  my  dear  miss  ! 
where  could  you  do  more  good  than  in  the  position 
I  offer  you  ?  In  a  church,  of  necessity  your  audi- 
ence is  limited  ;  on  the  stage,  there  'd  be  no  limit 
to  the  crowds  you  could  reach."  He  warmed  to 
the  subject,  an  old  theme  with  him,  and  waxed 
eloquent.  "  Think  of  the  great  number  of  har- 
assed, brain-tired,  sad,  and  dispirited  people  to 
whom  your  beautiful  sympathetic  voice  would  give 
recreation,  enjoyment,  freedom  from  care !  Is  n't 
that  doing  good  ?  And  is  n't  it  doing  the  highest 
kind  of  good  to  benefit  the  greatest  number  ?  In- 
deed, your  sphere  of  usefulness  will  be  but  widened, 
your  high  and  noble  influence  but  farther  reach- 
ing. There  surely  can  be  no  question  in  your 
mind  in  regard  to  that !  " 

So  positive  and  lofty  was  her  new  acquaintance's 
tone  that  Frances's  last  scruple  slipped  away ;  and 
she  readily  gave  her  name  and  address. 

"  But  please  don't  send  me  any  agreement  until 
I  write  and  ask  you  to  do  so,"  she  added.    "  I  must 
talk  the  matter  over  at  home  —  with  my  family  — 
before  I  decide." 

"  But  you  're  eighteen  —  you  mentioned  that. 


228  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

You  have  the  right  to  deckle  for  yourself.  Come, 
now,  just  say  you  '11  close  with  the  bargain.  Then  I 
won't  bother  to  find  any  one  else  for  the  position  ; 
I  '11  keep  it  for  you.  Just  say  positively  now, 
and  I  '11  wait  willingly  for  the  agreement  until  I 
hear  from  you."  He  was  a  keen  reader  of  human 
nature,  and  understood,  as  well  as  if  he  had  known 
her  from  her  birth,  that  the  spoken  word  of  the 
girl  before  him  would  be  as  sacred  to  her  as  her 
bond. 

But  his  urgency  revived  Francie's  first  instinc- 
tive dislike. 

"If  I  were  fifty  years  old,  I  would  not  enter 
into  anything  so  important  as  this  without  first 
talking  it  over  with  my  mother,"  she  declared 
warmly.  "  Good-afternoon !  " 

The  musical  director  saw  his  mistake.  "You 
are  right,  miss,  you  are  perfectly  right ! "  he 
eagerly  remarked.  "  Your  deference  to  your  par- 
ent does  you  great  credit,  great  credit !  "  His  tone 
gave  Frances  a  feeling  of  irritation ;  figuratively 
speaking,  as  if  she  were  being  patted  on  the 
back.  "  I  will  not  trouble  you  any  more  just  now, 
Miss  Jeffrey ;  I  '11  wait  with  patience  until  I  hear 
from  you  —  though  the  sooner  the  better.  I  will 
only  send  you  to-morrow  some  credentials  which 
will  prove  to  you  and  your  family  that  I  'm  the 
person  I  represent  myself  to  be.  With  a  thousand 
thanks  for  your  kindness  in  allowing  me  this  inter- 
view, I  bid  you  good-afternoon  !  "  Lifting  his  hat 
with  great  empresscment,  Mr.  Harwood  took  him- 
self off ;  and  going  straight  to  the  grocery  store 


IN  THE   DAY'S  JOURNEY  229 

nearest  to  where  the  Jeffreys  lived,  soon  made 
himself  acquainted  with  all  the  information  con- 
cerning the  family  that  could  there  be  obtained. 

Relieved  of  his  company,  Frances  walked  slowly 
toward  home ;  her  brain  teeming  with  glowing 
hopes  and  dazzling  visions  of  the  future.  Wrapt 
in  her  own  thoughts,  she  went  unseeing  on,  and 
started  back  with  surprise  and  some  alarm  when  a 
man's  figure  stood  stock-still  before  her,  barring 
her  way  through  the  narrow  park  gate.  But  all 
fear  vanished  when  she  looked  up  and  met  Jack 
Rose's  steady  honest  gray  eyes,  now  alight  with 
pleasure  at  seeing  her. 

"  I  'm  so  glad  to  meet  you  !  I  've  been  wanting 
all  day  to  see  you ! "  he  said  eagerly ;  and  for  a 
moment  they  stood  silent,  hand  in  hand.  Then, 
"  Can  you  sit  here  with  me  just  for  a  little  while, 
before  you  go  home?"  he  asked,  pointing  to  a 
bench  in  a  quiet  corner  of  the  park,  and  under  one 
of  the  widespreading  noble  elms. 

Frances  nodded,  and  they  went  over  and  took 
their  places. 

The  day  had  been  unusually  warm,  and  the  sun 
was  sinking  red  in  the  west ;  his  departing  beams 
burnished  the  tops  of  the  tall  trees,  turning  the  quiv- 
ering, dancing  leaves  into  living  gold,  while  lower 
down,  soft  shadows  gathered  length  and  deepness. 
The  gay  red  and  yellow  tulips  took  on  a  tenderer 
hue  save  where  the  sunlight,  which  streamed  in  at 
the  wide-open  west  gate,  fell  aslant  the  flowers, 
making  them  vivid  with  color ;  and  the  play  of  the 
fountain  came  upon  the  ear  with  soothing,  rhythmic 


230  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

regularity.  The  peace  of  the  hour  was  upon  the 
almost  deserted  park. 

The  two  young  people  felt  its  influence.  Tak- 
ing off  his  hat,  Jack  brushed  the  damp  hair  away 
from  his  forehead,  and  glancing  at  his  companion, 
gave  a  sigh  of  content.  "  Is  n't  it  good  to  be 
here  ?  "  he  asked.  "  What  were  you  thinking  of 
so  deeply  when  I  met  you  at  the  gate?"  The 
tone  of  voice  more  than  his  words  signified  how 
the  friendship  between  the  two  had  grown  and 
strengthened  since  the  day  of  that  first  visit  of 
Frances  to  Betty  Erveng. 

"  I  've  had  an  experience  this  afternoon,"  Fran- 
cie  answered  brightly.  " '  Lend  thine  ear,'  and  I  '11 
tell  you  all  about  it."  And  forthwith  she  related 
the  interview  with  Mr.  Custis,  and  the  result  of 
her  singing  in  the  church.  But  she  said  nothing 
of  the  musical  director.  "  I  '11  tell  him  one 
thing  at  a  time,"  flitted  across  her  mind  even  as 
she  talked. 

"  Now,  sir,  what  do  you  think  of  that  ?  "  she 
finished  saucily.  "  And  this  is  but  the  beginning 
of  great  things !  What  would  you  say  to  seeing 
me  a  prima  donna  one  of  these  days  —  rich  — 
famous  —  a  great  celebrity  !  "  She  had  a  trick  of 
using  her  hands  as  she  talked ;  and  now  an  airy 
little  flirt  of  the  fingers  lent  charming  emphasis  to 
her  words. 

Jack  sat  with  his  elbow  on  the  back  of  the  set- 
tee, his  head  resting  on  the  hand  that  held  his  hat, 
looking  at  Frances.  He  loved  to  watch  the  brown 
eyes  under  the  simple  straw  hat  grow  brilliant 


IN  THE  DAY'S  JOURNEY  231 

with  merriment  or  soft  with  emotion  as  the  story 
progressed;  and  the  girl's  frank  winning  smile 
brought  an  answering  smile  to  his  lips.  Jack's 
face  was  grave,  but  in  his  eyes  just  then  was  an 
expression  which  Frances  could  not  meet  for  long, 
and  yet  which  she  would  not  for  the  world  have 
had  absent  from  them. 

"  What  is  being  famous  ?  "  Jack  asked  ;  then, 
dreamily,  with  a  slow  tender  smile,  he  quoted, 
"  'You  are  none  the  better  because  you  are  praised ; 
you  are  none  the  worse  because  you  are  blamed ; 
what  thou  art,  thou  art.'  'T  is  the  quality  of  the 
soul  within  that  makes  one  great.  Could  your 
soul  be  any  greater,  nobler,  as  a  famous  prima 
donna,  than  now  as  pure-hearted  little  Francie  Jef- 
frey ?  I  'm  so  glad  you  're  to  sing  in  church !  To 
me  sacred  music  takes  a  large  place  in  the  worship 
of  God.  And  there  your  beautiful  voice  will  do 
the  most  good  in  the  best  way." 

Down  to  the  ground  with  a  run  went  Francie's 
fine  castles  in  the  air ;  like  whipped  curs  her  glow- 
ing fancies  skulked  rapidly  away.  A  strong  re- 
pugnance for  Mr.  Harwood  struggled  side  by  side 
with  an  equally  strong  disgust  for  what  she  now 
considered  as  her  "  consuming  vanity  and  conceit  " ! 

Oh,  why  had  she  given  that  horrid  man  her 
name  and  address  ?  Why  had  she  ever  listened 
to  him  ?  She  opened  her  mouth  to  tell  Jack  the 
whole  story  —  then  changed  her  mind  at  the  ex- 
pression she  surprised  on  his  face.  Her  own 
difficulties  were  forgotten  ;  leaning  forward  impul- 
sively, with  a  shy,  kindly  little  forefinger  she 


232  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

touched  the  hand  of  her  friend  as  it  lay  upon  his 
knee. 

"Jack,"  she  said  softly,  "something's  wrong. 
Could  you  tell  me  what  it  is  ?  Mother  says  *  a 
trouble  shared  is  often  a  trouble  lightened.' " 

"  Yes,"  he  answered  simply,  "  I  '11  tell  you.  I 
think  you  ought  to  know,  that 's  why  I  asked  you 
to  sit  here  with  me.  My  brother  Paul  is  in  trouble. 
You  know  what  a  brilliant,  clever  fellow  Paul  is; 
we  expected  great  things  of  him.  But  he  got  in 
with  a  bad  set,  and  he  's  been  going  it  at  a  tre- 
mendous pace.  To-day  he  came  to  tell  me  "  —  the 
hand  on  Jack's  knee  clinched,  a  dull  red  spread 
slowly  over  his  face,  to  the  roots  of  his  hair  —  "to 
tell  me  he  has  been  expelled  from  college  !  He  has 
some  debts  —  a  good  many  -  -  that  have  to  be 
paid  ;  and  he  wants  to  get  out  of  New  York  right 
away,  if  possible.  We  all  expected  him  to  be  a 
lawyer,  like  Felix  ;  but  Paul  thinks  he  'd  be  happier 
as  a  musician  —  an  organist.  He  has  always  been 
fond  of  music  ;  and  now  he  wants  to  go  off  to 
some  city  where,  as  he  says,  no  one  '11  know  any- 
thing about  this  trouble,  and  where  he  can  make 
music  his  profession.  I  don't  think  much  of  the 
scheme  myself,  but  he  is  in  dead  earnest  over  it  — 
and  awfully  cut  up  just  now.  I  think  he  should 
have  his  chance." 

"  Oh,  yes !  "  exclaimed  Frances,  as  her  friend 
paused. 

Jack  nodded  gravely.  "  My  father  went  through 
Columbia  with  a  splendid  record,"  he  continued, 
in  the  same  quiet  tone  ;  "  so  did  Felix.  Phil  and  I 


IN  THE  DAY'S  JOURNEY  233 

did  n't  have  their  brains," —  in  his  modest  estimate 
of  himself  Jack  did  not  understand  the  protest  that 
his  companion's  quick  gesture  conveyed,  —  "  but 
we  did  our  best,  and  scrambled  through.  In  some 
ways  my  father  is  very  particular  —  he  expects 
certain  things  from  his  children.  Going  through 
college  in  the  best  way  you  can  is  one  of  those 
things.  I  'm  afraid  't  would  almost  break  his  heart 
to  know  this  about  Paul.  I  could  n't  tell  him  of 
it  —  I  could  n't  go  to  him  for  help  for  Paul.  And 
Paul  has  quarreled  with  Felix  and  Max ;  he  says 
he  would  n't  take  a  dollar  from  them  if  he  were 
starving !  He  is  willing  to  let  me  help  him,  and, 
under  the  circumstances,  I  think  I  am  the  proper 
person  to  do  it.  But  "  —  Jack  lifted  his  honest 
eyes,  sombre  with  the  ache  in  his  heart  —  "I 
could  n't  do  so  without  first  speaking  to  you.  I 
felt  I  owed  it  to  you."  He  paused;  then,  to  control 
his  voice,  began  speaking  very  slowly.  "  Francie, 
I  haven't  told  you  in  so  many  words,  but  I  think 
you  know  how  dearly  I  love  you.  Ever  since  I 
first  saw  you,  my  great  hope  has  been  that  I  might 
some  day  win  you  for  —  my  wife  !  "  The  way  in 
which  Jack  said  those  last  two  words  thrilled 
Frances  to  the  heart. 

"  Betty  knows  what  I  feel  for  you  —  and  your 
mother  knows  —  I  spoke  to  her  one  evening  about 
it,"  went  on  the  quiet,  honest  voice.  "  And  I  've 
been  working  and  saving  to  have  enough  for  a 
home  before  I  asked  you  to  marry  me.  Now,"  — 
Jack  swallowed  hard ;  the  next  sentences  were 
more  and  more  difficult  to  utter,  —  "  now,  to  get 


234  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

Paul  out  of  his  scrape,  and  put  him  on  his  legs 
again,  —  he  can't  go  empty-handed  to  a  strange  city, 
—  will  take  all  that  I  Ve  saved.  I  intend  to  do 
this  for  Paul  —  I  'm  thankful  to  be  able  to  help 
my  brother  in  his  time  of  trouble.  But  it  puts  an 
end  to  my  hopes  —  it  would  n't  be  fair  to  you  " 
Then  looking  steadily  at  Frances  with  hopeless 
eyes,  "  I  would  n't  have  burdened  you  with  this 
sad  story  of  poor  Paul,  but  I  felt  you  had  a  right 
to  know  —  to  understand  —  why  certain  words 
which  I  had  hoped  to  say  to  you  were  not  spoken 
by  me.  I "  —  Jack's  voice  suddenly  gave  out, 
his  hand  went  across  his  eyes. 

The  expression  of  patient  resignation  on  his  pale 
face  affected  Frances  curiously  ;  she  felt  a  strong 
desire  both  to  laugh  and  to  cry. 

When  presently  Jack  looked  up,  wondering  at 
her  silence,  he  found  her  "  teary  roun'  the  lashes," 
but  making  a  desperate  effort  after  her  own  bright, 
saucy  smile. 

"Yes,"  she  said  gently,  "you  must  give  Paul 
his  chance."  Then,  to  save  herself  from  a  flood  of 
tears,  the  sunny  smile  flashed  out,  while  burn- 
ing blushes  made  vivid  the  little  piquaute  face. 
"  We  're  neither  of  us  so  very  old,"  she  remarked 
demurely  ;  "  I  suppose  we  could  possibly  wait  — 
until  you  'd  saved  some  more  money !  " 

"  You  mean  "  —  cried  out  Jack  breathlessly, 
bending  eagerly  forward,  his  eyes,  wide  open, 
imploring,  searching,  fixed  upon  Frances. 

"  You  are  a  good  man,  a  loyal  brother ;  and 
oh,  Jack  !  you  are  the  dearest  old  blind  goose  ! " 


IN   THE   DAY'S  JOURNEY  235 

whispered  that  young  person  roguishly,  putting  out 
to  him  the  small,  kindly,  shy  forefinger  that  had 
done  him  service  before.  Then  her  under  lip  began 
to  quiver,  a  tear  made  its  way  down  one  burning 
cheek,  and  the  little  finger  was  drawn  back  —  but 
too  late ! 

With  an  exclamation  of  joy  Jack  had  caught, 
not  only  the  finger,  but  the  hand  to  which  it 
belonged,  into  the  strong,  safe  keeping  of  his  own 
two  eager  hands. 

A  little  later  that  afternoon  Frances  rang  the 
bell  of  her  home  and  walked  into  the  dining-room 
where  the  family  sat  at  tea. 

"  My  dear,  where  have  you  been  ?  We  did  n't 
know  what  had  become  of  you !  "  cried  Mrs.  Jef- 
frey ;  and  "  Well ;  you  've  given  us  a  fright !  " 
"  What 's  the  result  of  the  singing  ?  "  "  My !  but 
you  look  as  if  something  had  happened ! "  re- 
marked several  other  members  of  the  family. 

As  she  passed  her  mother,  Frances  hastily 
whispered,  "  I  '11  tell  you  everything  as  soon  as  I 
can,  mother ;  "  then  aloud,  "  It 's  good  news  and  a 
long  story,"  she  said,  smiling.  "  I  '11  tell  it  all  by 
and  by  —  when  we  're  in  the  drawing-room.  Only 
some  dessert,  Ursa ;  I  'm  not  a  bit  hungry." 

"  Dear  me !  do  hurry,  everybody,  and  get  fin- 
ished," urged  Rufie.  "  I  'm  dying  to  hear !  " 

But  as  it  fell  out,  the  story  was  not  told  at  all 
that  evening,  save  to  Mrs.  Jeffrey,  and,  in  the  con- 
fidence of  the  midnight  hour,  to  Ursula.  Kufie 
had  gathered  the  family  into  the  parlor,  and  uncle 


236  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

Gabriel  was  saying,  in  the  cheeriest  of  tones, 
"  Come,  Francie,  take  the  floor,"  when  the  bell 
rang  sharply. 

Every  one  listened,  with  the  interested  atten- 
tion which  a  ring  at  the  bell  always  secures  in  an 
apartment. 

Footsteps  came  rapidly  through  the  rooms,  and 
Margaret  appeared  between  the  drawing-room  por- 
tieres —  a  Margaret  with  indignant  flashing  eyes, 
and  a  face  out  of  which  all  the  bloom  had  faded. 
She  made  a  step  forward,  and  Mrs.  Jeffrey  rose 
quickly  to  meet  her. 

"  Mother ! "  cried  Marnie  loudly,  defiantty, 
"  I  've  broken  my  engagement  with  Mr.  Austin. 
I  couldn't  stand  it  any  longer!  And  I've  had  a 
fuss  with  Miss  Austin !  I  know  you  're  all  dis- 
gusted with  me  —  I  can't  help  it  if  you  are  —  I 
don't  care ! " 

She  ran  forward,  and,  throwing  herself  into  her 
mother's  arms,  broke  into  a  wild  passion  of  tears. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

FRIEND    URSULA 

So  excited  and  overcome  was  Margaret  that 
not  until  the  next  morning  could  Mrs.  Jeffrey  get 
a  clear  understanding  of  what  had  happened. 
And  then  it  was  such  a  pale,  tired,  most  unhappy 
girl  who  made  confession  that  the  mother's  heart 
yearned  over  her. 

"  I  thought  I  loved  him,  mother,  truly  I  did,  or 
I  never  would  've  taken  him,"  Marnie  said.  "  You 
told  me  once  that  't  was  Mr.  Austin's  money  and 
position  made  me  like  him,  and  —  perhaps  you 
were  right,  mother  —  I  don't  know.  But  I 
thought  I  loved  him  —  and  for  quite  a  while  I  was 
happy.  Not  like  "  —  In  a  sudden  rush  the  blood 
flooded  Margaret's  face ;  she  made  a  quick,  impa- 
tient gesture,  as  if  by  so  doing  she  could  thrust 
an  unwelcome  thought  aside.  "  I  was  happy,"  she 
repeated  firmly.  "  Had  Roger  asked  me  then  to 
marry  him  at  once,  I  would  have  done  it  gladly.  I 
kept  thinking  of  what  I  could  do  when  I  was  mar- 
ried —  how  I  'd  wear  such  beautiful  clothes,  and 
have  lots  of  sport,  and  look  after  the  girls,  marry 
them  off  well,  and  all  that.  But,  mother,"  Mar- 
nie's  lips  were  quivering,  heavy  tears  clouded  her 
hazel  eyes,  "  you  know,  those  things  can't  make 


238  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

up  —  for  the  loss  of  other  things.  I  soon  began  to 
feel  that.  Oh,  I  'in  so  thankful  I  found  out  in 
time  that  I  did  n't  really  care  for  him  —  before 
I  married  him !  I  'm  afraid  I  might  've  got  to 
actually  dislike  him  !  Would  n't  that  have  been 
awful !  Oh,  thank  God,  I  had  the  courage  to 
break  it  off  !  "  Covering  her  face  with  her  hands, 
Margaret  sobbed  aloud. 

Mrs.  Jeffrey  spoke  no  word,  but  the  touch  of 
the  tender  mother  hands  on  her  shoulder  gave  the 
girl  some  comfort. 

"  Roger  Austin  is  a  good  man,  mother,"  Mar- 
garet continued  presently  ;  "  good,  kind,  honorable, 
refined,  but  he  is  n't  the  man  to  make  me  happy. 
I  know  what  you  're  thinking  of,"  she  cried  out, 
at  the  expression  of  her  mother's  face.  "  You  're 
thinking  of  —  of  what  I  said  about  —  somebody 
else  —  about  Jim.  Oh,  what  a  cruel,  wicked, 
silly  girl  I  've  been !  But  Mr.  Austin  is  very 
different  from  Jim !  he  does  n't  feel  things  as  — 
as  Jim  would.  He  has  been  so  kind  to  me,  you 
know  the  presents  he  has  kept  bringing  me,  and 
always  so  polite  and  attentive.  But,  mother," 
Margaret's  voice  dropped  as  if  she  were  talking 
treason,  "  oh,  he  is  so  dull !  I  had  to  keep  pump- 
ing  my  brain  for  things  to  talk  about  when  we 
were  alone  together  !  There  's  not  a  spark  of  fun 
in  him.  And  conventional!  Why,  for  —  for 
days,"  —  the  color  flamed  in  the  pale  cheeks,  — 
"  for  days  together  he  'd  never  kiss  me !  I  know  he 
loved  me  —  but  he  so  seldom  showed  it.  I  never 
did  care  for  a  great  deal  of  di •ministration,"  Mar- 


FRIEND  URSULA  239 

nie  felt  bound  to  add,  "  but,  dear  me,  some  people 
go  to  the  other  extreme,  and  that 's  just  about  as 
bad.  There  were  times  when  I  felt  as  if  I  might 
have  been  as  remote  from  Roger's  affection  as  a 
piece  of  furniture,  or  some  stranger.  Truly !  I 
should  die  or  become  as  dull  as  a  mummy  or  some 
other  horrid  nonentity  if  I  had  to  be  with  him  all 
my  life  !  I  'm  sorry  to  give  him  this  pain,  but  I 
could  n't,  could  n't  marry  him." 

"  You  never  loved  him,  that  's  the  trouble. 
You  should  never  have  engaged  yourself  to  Mr. 
Austin,"  Mrs.  Jeffrey  said  gravely.  "  He  is  an- 
other to  whom  you  've  done  a  great  injustice." 
She  sighed. 

"  Miss  Austin  said  that  yesterday,"  confessed 
Margaret  shamefacedly.  "  She  said  I  'd  taken 
her  brother  for  his  money  and  position ;  she  did  n't 
put  it  quite  so  brutally  as  that,  but  that  was  what 
she  meant.  I  got  very  angry.  She  was  urging 
me  about  the  wedding,  mother ;  when  the  very 
thought  of  it  made  me  heartsick.  Then  I  got 
desperate  and  said  some  sharp,  angry  things  — 
I  'd  rather  die  than  marry  Roger  Austin  !  "  Mar- 
nie  brought  her  closed  hand  down  upon  the  arm 
of  the  chair  with  a  fierce  little  pound.  "  I  think 
I  told  her  so  ;  mother,  I  was  so  unhappy  I 
hardly  knew  what  I  was  saying !  Miss  Austin 
said  sharp  things,  too !  I  went  straight  down  to 
the  library  where  he  —  Roger  —  was,  and  ended 
the  whole  affair  then  and  there.  I  took  off  the 
ring,  mother,"  Marnie  leaned  eagerly  forward  : 
"  you  know  what  a  beauty  that  ring  was  —  how 


240  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

big  and  white  the  diamonds  were  —  how  they 
sparkled  !  I  almost  went  wild  with  delight  when 
I  got  it.  Well,  believe  me,  when  I  took  it  off  and 
laid  it  on  the  table  before  Roger  I  felt  as  if  I  had 
dropped  a  shackle  —  I  felt  so  free!  I  am  not 
sorry  I  ended  the  engagement,  mother  —  I  'm  glad  ! 
If  I  never  marry  —  if  I  stay  poor  all  my  life  —  if 
I  have  to  work  hard  as  long  as  I  live  —  still  I  'm 
free  —  free,"  with  a  wide  sweep  Margaret  lifted 
her  arms  above  her  head ;  "  free  to  be  my  own 
natural  self  again." 

"You  think  only  of  yourself,  Margaret,"  ex- 
claimed Mrs.  Jeffrey  sorrowfully.  "  My  child, 
have  you  no  thought  for  the  kindly  gentleman 
whose  heart  you  have  thrown  aside?  First  our 
dear  old  Jim,  and  now  "  — 

Margaret  threw  out  her  hands  imploringly.  "  I 
am  sorry !  Oh,  mother,  I  am  ashamed !  "  she 
cried.  "  I  told  Roger  so.  I  begged  him  to  for- 
give me.  He  won't  feel  this  as  —  as  —  Jim  does 
—  did.  Mr.  Austin  isn't  like  Jim  in  the  very 
least.  And  I  tried  —  oh,  how  I  tried  !  —  with  all 
my  strength  to  love  him,  but  I  could  not !  Mo- 
ther, mother !  "  Margaret  broke  into  a  fit  of  cry- 
ing, "  I  know  you  and  the  girls  despise  me  !  I  saw 
it  in  Ursa's  eyes  last  night.  Oh,  where  did  you 
ever  get  such  a  bad,  selfish  child  as  I  am  ?  Your 
eldest  daughter,  too ;  I  ought  to  have  been  a  com- 
fort to  you.  But  I  've  learned  a  lesson  —  a  hard 
one  —  and  I  'm  going  to  be  different.  First  of 
all  I  must  get  some  work  —  something  to  do.  I 
could  n't "  — growing  excited  —  '*  just  sit  about  the 


FRIEND  URSULA  241 

house,  and  think,  think,  all  the  time.  Old  Mrs. 
Linton,  mother — you  remember  her? — said  she'd 
be  glad  to  have  me  read  to  her  and  write  letters  for 
her  three  or  four  mornings  in  the  week,  whenever 
I  could  spare  the  time,  and  she  'd  pay  me  for  it. 
That  was  a  good  while  ago,  but  I  think  I  '11  go 
and  see  her  in  a  few  days,  and  if  she  's  of  the  same 
mind  I'll  begin  right  away.  Mother,"  Mamie 
came  swiftly  to  her  mother's  knee  and  knelt  there, 
"  if  I  had  only  followed  your  advice  —  about  Mr. 
Austin  !  If  I  had  only  been  content  with  —  Oh, 
I ' ve  been  very,  very  unhappy !  I  Ve  felt  so  mean 
for  a  long  time  !  Now,  I  'm  going  to  try  to  forget 
all  about  those  Austins  —  that  they  even  exist  — 
and  to  behave  as  your  daughter  should.  Help  me, 
mother  !  Put  your  dear  arms  around  me  and  say 
you  forgive  me." 

"  My  dear  child !  My  dear  first-born  Marnie  ! 
Of  course  I  forgive  and  will  help  you !  "  cried  the 
mother,  drawing  the  weeping  girl  into  her  arms, 
pressing  the  hot  tear-wet  face  against  her  shoul- 
der. 

But  it  was  not  quite  so  easy  to  forget  the  Aus- 
tins, for  they  proved  themselves  far  less  conven- 
tional than  might  have  been  expected.  On  that 
same  morning,  not  long  after  the  talk  between  the 
mother  and  daughter,  Miss  Austin,  who  was  a 
law  unto  herself,  came  to  the  house.  Margaret 
declared  she  would  not,  could  not,  see  the  little 
lady,  but  finally  ended  by  following  her  mother 
into  the  drawing-room. 

With  a  heightened   color  and   sorrowful  eyes, 


242  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

Mrs.  Jeffrey  went  forward  to  meet  her  caller,  while 
Margaret,  shamed  and  a  little  defiant,  lagged 
behind. 

Miss  Austin's  greeting  was  a  surprise  to  them 
both,  and  a  relief.  "  We  need  not  quarrel  and 
never  see  one  another  again  because  Margaret 
does  n't  wish  to  marry  my  brother,  need  we  ?  "  she 
asked  brusquely,  yet  kindly,  and  holding  out  her 
hand  to  Margaret's  mother.  "  In  the  heat  of  our 
talk  yesterday,  we  both  said  some  disagreeable 
things,"  went  on  the  visitor,  looking  at  Margaret. 
"  I  now  apologize  for  my  share.  The  girl  who 
puts  from  her  the  honor  of  being  Roger  Austin's 
wife  loses  too  much,"  Miss  Austin's  white  head 
went  up,  "  for  me  to  accentuate  that  loss  by  bitter 
words.  I  should  rather  be,  and  am,  most  thankful 
that  the  young  lady  discovered  the  state  of  her 
feelings  in  time  !  " 

"  Oh,  yes !  "  exclaimed  Margaret  involuntarily, 
fervently,  then  coloring  crimson  she  sat  silent,  with 
downcast  eyes. 

"  The  great  mistake  was  in  engaging  herself  to 
Mr.  Austin,"  remarked  Mrs.  Jeffrey  gently.  "  I 
have  the  highest  opinion  of  your  brother,"  she 
added,  "  and  am  grieved  that  any  child  of  mine 
should  have  brought  this  sorrow  upon  him." 

Again  Miss  Austin's  head  went  up,  a  little 
sparkle  came  into  her  bright  black  eyes.  "  lit- 
will  get  over  it,"  she  declared  positively,  with 
cold  dignity,  her  sisterly  pride  up  in  arms. 
"There  are  plenty  of  women  —  the  best  of  women 
—  who  would  gladly  console  him.  lie  will  get 


FRIEND   URSULA  243 

over  it.  Margaret  never  loved  Roger  —  never," 
— growing  warmer,  —  "or  she  would  long  ago  have 
discovered  his  sterling  worth,  instead  of  tiring  of 
him  as  she  has.  I  saw  it  coming  —  I  saw  it  —  but 
I  would  not  let  myself  believe  it  of  her  I  Well," 
still  with  her  head  very  erect,  Miss  Austin  rose, 
"  I  felt  I  had  given  way  to  temper  yesterday,  and 
in  niy  disappointment,  said  more  than  I  intended, 
or,  perhaps,  had  any  right  to  say.  Valuing  your 
friendship  as  I  do,  Mrs.  Jeffrey,  I  determined  to 
come  over  here  this  morning  and  apologize  to 
Margaret." 

"  Oh,  Miss  Austin  !  —  it 's  I  should  apologize  to 
you  !  "  cried  out  Margaret,  with  a  burst  of  tears. 
"  Indeed,  if  you  could  only  know  how  dreadfully  I 
feel  about  this,  you  would  n't  be  angry  with  me.  I 
love  you  —  dearly  !  I  felt  worse  about  losing  your 
friendship  than  "  —  The  rest  of  the  sentence  was 
lost  in  a  sob. 

Miss  Austin's  sense  of  humor  was  stirred. 
"  Poor  Roger !  "  she  thought  grimly.  Then  the 
sight  of  Margaret's  beautiful  face  convulsed  with 
emotion,  the  red  lips  working  like  those  of  a  child, 
the  piteous  imploring  expression  in  the  brown  eyes, 
from  which  tears  were  pouring,  revived  the  strong 
affection  of  old.  "  You  don't  deserve  it,"  she  de- 
clared, with  kindly  brusqueness,  "  but  I  can't  stay 
angry  with  you !  "  And  lifting  herself  upon  the 
tips  of  her  toes,  she  reached  up  and  kissed  the  tall 
girl. 

**  Now,  Mrs.  Jeffery,"  Miss  Austin  said,  later, 
when  Margaret  had  gone  weeping  from  the  room, 


244  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

—  "  now  I  'm  going  to  ask  you  to  let  me  take  Ruth 
to  Lenox  at  the  end  of  the  week.  Our  programme 
is  considerably  changed,"  she  went  on,  quietly 
ignoring  Mrs.  Jeffrey's  start  and  look  of  great 
surprise.  "  My  brother  goes  to  Europe  in  a  week 
or  two,  for  an  indefinite  length  of  time.  The  house 
party  we  were  to  have  had  at  our  place  is,  of  course, 
broken  up.  But  I  am  going  to  Lenox  for  a  little 
change,  and  I  am  begging  Ruth  of  you  for  com- 
pany. I  think  you  might  let  me  have  her,"  fin- 
ished the  little  lady  sharply ;  "  I  shall  be  a  lonely 
enough  woman  for  many  a  long  day  while  Roger 
is  away ! " 

"  Ruth  shall  certainly  go,  if  she  will,"  returned 
Mrs.  Jeffrey  warmly,  whereupon  Ruth  was  called 
in  to  decide  the  question  for  herself. 

"  Why  —  yes  —  I  'd  like  to  go.  You  're  very 
kind  to  ask  me,"  that  young  person  said,  after  a 
moment  of  surprised  silence ;  then  there  came  a 
look  of  purpose  into  her  gray  eyes,  and  with  the 
pretty  pink  deepening  in  her  cheeks  Ruth  added 
bluntly,  gazing  steadily  at  Miss  Austin,  "  We  all 
think  Mamie  has  n't  acted  very  nicely,  but  I 
should  n't  like  to  have  you  say  that.  I  should  n't 
want  to  stay  with  you  and  hear  you  say  things 
about  my  sister." 

Had  any  other  member  of  the  family  said  that 
to  Miss  Austin,  she  would  most  undoubtedly  have 
resented  it.  But  she  understood  and  liked  Rufie  ; 
in  fact,  the  girl's  bluntness  and  simplicity  amused 
her.  "  We  are  both  sensible  people,  Ruth,"  she  said, 
smiling.  "  You  may  be  sure  we  shan't  quarrel." 


FRIEND  URSULA  245 

So  it  was  settled  that  Ruth  should  go  to  Lenox 
with  Miss  Austin ;  and  the  little  lady  went  away. 

Nor  was  Miss  Austin  the  only  member  of  her 
family  that  came  to  the  Jeffreys'  house  that  day. 
About  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  another 
visitor  called.  Mrs.  Jeffrey  and  Frances  were  out 
together,  uncle  Gabriel  and  Ursula  at  their  re- 
spective offices,  Judy  looking  after  her  "  poor  peo- 
ple." But  Margaret  and  Ruth  were  at  home ;  and 
while  Gretchen  answered  the  bell,  Rufie  peeped 
cautiously  from  behind  the  dining-room  portiere, 
to  get  first  information  of  the  newcomer. 

"Oh  —  it's  Mr.  Austin!  I  heard  his  voice," 
she  exclaimed,  darting  back  to  Margaret. 

"  Goodness  me  !  what  '11  I  do  ?  I  don't  want 
to  see  him,"  cried  Margaret,  rising  up  from  the 
lounge  in  alarm,  ready  to  flee  away  and  hide.  "  I 
don't  see  why  he  should  come  here.  I  wrote  him 
a  few  lines  this  morning,  and  gave  it  to  mother, 
with  all  his  presents  to  send  back.  I  'm  not  going 
to  see  him !  " 

"But  you'll  have  to,  if" — began  Ruth,  when 
the  stout  little  maid  appeared,  her  round  eyes 
rounder  than  ever.  Well  she  knew  that  some- 
thing unusual  had  occurred  in  the  family  ;  and  her 
eyes  dwelt  curiously  upon  Margaret  as  she  deliv- 
ered her  message.  "  Misser  Austin  in  draw'n'- 
room  —  like  for  see  Miss  Yudit'." 

The  girls  looked  at  each  other  in  dismay. 

"  I  do  hope  he  is  n't  going  to  ask  Judy  to  talk  to 
me  for  him ! "  exclaimed  Margaret,  when  Gretchen 
had  retired. 


246  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

"  I  hope  he  is  n't  going  to  take  back  the  houses 
he  gave  for  the  playground ! "  cried  Rufie,  in  con- 
sternation. "  Judy's  heart  would  be  broken !  You 
know,  he  said  they  were  a  gift  from  you  and  him- 
self, and  now,  as  you've  backed  out—  D' you 
suppose  he  would  do  such  a  mean  thing?"  Her 
eyes  grew  big  with  apprehension  for  her  beloved 
twin.  "  Marnie,  do  go  in  and  see  him  ;  find  out 
if  he 's  come  about  that." 

"I  will  not  go  in ! "  declared  Margaret  excitedly. 
"I  wish  the  Austin  family  would  emigrate  to 
Kamschatka  or  some  other  far-away  outlandish 
place,  where  I  'd  never  lay  eyes  on  them  again  !  " 
Catching  up  a  piece  of  sewing,  she  began  taking 
stitches  at  random ;  her  eyes  were  so  full  of  tears 
as  to  blind  her. 

Then  Rufie  arose,  growing  several  inches  taller 
in  her  indignation.  "  Margaret  Jeffrey,  you  're  a 
selfish  thing !  you  think  of  nobody  but  yourself !  " 
she  informed  Maruie,  with  provoked  candor. 
"First  you  threw  poor  Jim  aside  —  for  Mr.  Aus- 
tin—  without  caring  a  rap  what  became  of  the 
poor  fellow.  And  now  that  you  've  tired  of  Mr. 
Austin,  you  've  thrown  him  over ;  and  you  don't 
trouble  yourself  in  the  least  about  anything  he  may 
feel.  It 's  just  your  own  feelings  —  yourself  — 
yourself !  Such  a  good  kind  man,  too  !  Mother 
asked  us  not  to  speak  to  you  about  this  affair, 
and  I  didn't  mean  to,  but  you  are  so  selfish  I 
simply  couldn't  help  speaking.  There!"  And 
with  the  last  word  off  sailed  Rufie  into  the  parlor 
where  sat  Mr.  Austin ;  while,  with  a  burst  of 


FRIEND  URSULA  247 

tears,  Margaret  buried  her  face  in  the  faded  sofa 
cushion  and  wept  bitterly. 

"  Judy  is  out,  and  mother  —  so  I  came  in  to  see 
if  I  would  do,"  Rufie  said,  with  her  own  odd  min- 
gling of  stately  manner  and  simple  phraseology. 
The  little  fracas  in  the  dining-room  had  deepened 
the  rose-blush  in  her  cheeks ;  and  when  Mr.  Austin 
rose  and  faced  her,  sympathy  for  him  brought  a 
very  kindly  expression  into  Ruth's  eyes. 

Never  ruddy,  at  his  best,  to-day  Roger's  face  wore 
a  ghastly  gray  pallor  that  gave  him  an  appearance 
of  extreme  delicacy ;  black  circles  under  his  eyes 
told  of  a  sleepless  night,  and  in  the  eyes  themselves 
was  such  a  quiet  hopelessness  as  stirred  Ruth  into 
fresh  indignation  against  Margaret. 

"  We  're  all  so  sorry  !  "  she  exclaimed,  holding 
out  her  hand  to  him  with  great  cordiality. 

"Thank  you,"  Roger  said  quietly,  as  he  spoke 
noticing  for  the  first  time  the  strong  resemblance 
in  Ruth  to  Margaret,  despite  the  difference  in  their 
coloring.  "  Thank  you  for  your  sympathy ;  but," 
he  winced  a  little,  "  Margaret's  happiness  is,  of 
course,  the  first  consideration.  No,  thank  you, 
I'll  not  sit  down,"  he  continued  calmly.  "  I  called 
to  see  Judith  in  regard  to  the  playground." 

"  Ah,  yes  !  "  cried  Rufie  breathlessly,  her  eyes 
widening  with  anxiety. 

"  I  'm  putting  my  affairs  in  order,  as  I  go  to 
Europe  in  a  few  days  or  a  week  —  as  soon  as  I 
can  ;  and  I  called  to  tell  Judith  what  has  been  de- 
cided upon  in  regard  to  the  playground.  I  have 
succeeded  in  interesting  some  men  of  wealth  and 


248  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

standing  in  the  project.  These  men  are  convinced, 
as  I  am,  of  the  great  necessity  for  such  a  place  in 
the  very  heart  of  the  city,  and  they  will  take  all 
necessary  and  proper  legal  steps  to  establish  the 
children's  playground  as  a  permanence.  As  Judith 
knows,  work  has  been  begun ;  six  houses  in  Ded- 
lock  Street  are  being  rapidly  pulled  down,  and  it 's 
possible  that  we  may  get  the  whole  end  of  the 
block,  straight  through  to  the  other  street ;  I  hope 
so.  I  shall  leave  directions  that  during  my  ab- 
sence she  be  kept  fully  informed  of  the  progress 
of  the  work,  which  now  it  is  thought  may  be 
completed  by  the  early  fall.  No,  Ruth,"  Mr. 
Austin  put  up  his  hand  as  Rufie  began  to  speak, 
"  thanks  are  due  from,  not  to,  me.  I  owe  your 
twin  sister  many  thanks  for  allowing  me  the 
opportunity  of  joining  in  the  carrying  out  of  her 
excellent  plan.  Now,"  he  took  up  his  hat,  and 
held  out  a  hand  to  Ruth,  "  good-by !  Should  we 
not  meet  again,  I  have  some  happiness,"  his  voice 
wavered, "  and  many  very  pleasant  occasions  —  for 
which  to  thank  you  all.  I  wish  happiness  to  every 
member  of  the  family  !  " 

"  Oh,  but  you  will  see  me  again,"  asserted  Ruth 
quickly.  "Miss  Austin  was  here  this  morning, 
and  she  's  invited  me  to  go  to  Lenox  with  her,  on 
Saturday.  You  '11  be  there,  won't  you  ?  " 

Roger  looked  very  much  surprised.  "  Indeed  ! 
yes?"  he  said,  somewhat  blankly.  Then,  for  an 
instant  a  faint,  conventional  smile  stirred  his  pale 
lips.  "  Then  we  shall  meet  again  very  soon,"  he 
said.  "  Good-by !  "  And  with  the  sombre  cloud 


FRIEND  URSULA  249 

settling  again  upon  his  face,  he  bowed  himself 
out. 

"  Any  admittance  for  a  straggler  ?  "  asked  Paul 
Rose,  putting  his  head  inside  the  door  of  Ursula's 
office,  or,  more  properly  speaking,  the  small  corner 
of  the  Leader  building  which  had  been  partitioned 
off  and  dignified  by  that  name.  It  was  one  of 
a  number  of  similar  dingy,  uncomfortable  little 
places  — "  coops,"  the  men  on  the  staff  called 
them  —  in  which  the  Leader  work  was  done ;  and 
Ursula  considered  herself  particularly  well  off  in 
having  the  full  width  of  a  window  in  her  "  coop," 
through  whose  dusty  panes  the  sunlight  bravely 
struggled  in.  The  desk  was  a  table  with  a  "  game  " 
leg  ;  the  chair  a  hard  unsteady  stool,  which  had 
been  cut  down  to  suit  the  height  of  the  table.  The 
wall  and  partition  were  pasted  over  with  pictures 
cut  from  bygone  Leaders  —  race-horses,  public 
speakers,  poets  and  statesmen,  ballet  dancers,  ec- 
clesiastical dignitaries,  madonnas,  champion  play- 
ers, and  cartoons  were  there  side  by  side,  cheek  by 
jowl,  in  the  most  friendly  and  harmonious  fashion. 
This  was  the  handiwork  of  a  predecessor  of  Ursula, 
as  was  the  sketch,  done  in  red  and  black  ink,  which 
filled  the  unpainted  middle  panel  of  the  "  coop  " 
door,  and  represented  Mephisto  with  his  attenuated 
barbed  tail  coiled  gracefully  around  his  bat-like 
feet,  and  using  a  slender  wicked-looking  pitchfork 
as  a  toothpick.  In  the  head  and  half -picked  bones 
of  the  figure  lying  at  Mephisto's  feet  a  very  good 
likeness  to  Driscal,  the  angular,  strong  featured 


250  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

editor  of  the  Leader,  had  been  accomplished.  The 
motto  below  the  sketch  was,  "  Sic  semper  Tyran- 
nis."  Driscal  was  a  touchy  man ;  and  it  was  a 
credited  report  in  the  office  that  the  artist  — 
jolly,  satirical  McNaughton  —  had  lost  his  position 
through  that  piece  of  ill-advised  wit. 

On  McNaughton's  departure,  Ursula  had  been 
promoted  to  his  so-called  office ;  proud  enough 
she  was  to  be  there,  too,  and  good  work  was  she 
sending  out  from  that  dingy  little  corner  of  the 
big  barn-like  building.  The  discriminating  few 
on  the  staff  who  knew  a  good  thing  when  they  saw 
it  were  growing  to  regard  her  as  a  young  person 
to  be  reckoned  with  some  day  —  as  a  young  person 
who,  in  a  modest  way,  was  already  beginning  to 
"  arrive." 

Ursa  looked  up  at  the  sound  of  Paul's  voice. 
"  Yes,  this  particular  straggler  may  come  in,"  she 
said,  smiling,  though  a  little  while  before  her  face 
had  been  grave  enough.  "The  story  for  Satur- 
day's paper  is  off  my  mind,  and  in  W.  D.'s  hands  " 
(in  office  parlance  "  W.  D."  was  short  for  William 
Driscal)  ;  "and  I  was  just  thinking  of  leaving  for 
home.  Yes,  take  it,"  as  Paul  put  out  a  covetous 
hand  toward  the  big  spicy  carnation  which  stood 
in  a  glass  of  water  on  her  desk. 

"  All  right ;  if  you  're  going,  I  '11  walk  up  town 
with  you,"  proposed  the  newcomer.  He  stuck  the 
flower  in  his  buttonhole,  and  taking  a  seat  side- 
wise  on  the  table,  swung  his  foot  and  watched 
Ursula  put  on  her  hat  and  make  her  few  prepara- 
tions for  leaving. 


FRIEND  URSULA  251 

Like  the  rest  of  the  Roses,  Paul  was  good-look- 
ing. He  had  the  full  dome-shaped  forehead  of 
Felix  ;  but  there  the  resemblance  ended,  for  Paul's 
eyes  were  bluer  than  those  of  his  brother,  and  his 
hair  was  much  lighter;  in  fact,  almost  as  yellow  as 
that  of  his  twin  sister,  Madel.  He  was  taller  than 
Felix,  strongly  built,  and  straight ;  his  manner 
was  gay,  a  little  masterful,  insouciant,  attractive, 
and  there  was  a  merry  twinkle  in  his  eyes  ;  but  at 
this  time  his  face  bore  marks  of  late  hours  and 
dissipation. 

As  Paul  sat  waiting,  he  softly  whistled  an  air 
from  the  Meistersinger,  and  presently,  with  Ur- 
sula's penholder  for  a  baton,  began  leading  an 
imaginary  orchestra.  In  the  middle  of  Walter's 
beautiful  song  before  the  burghers  he  broke  off 
abruptly.  "  I  've  handed  in  my  last  copy  for  Le- 
gare,"  he  remarked  suddenly.  "  He 's  well  enough 
now  to  look  after  his  own  affairs.  By  the  way, 
he'll  have  to  skirmish  around  and  find  another 
'  under-study,'  as  he  calls  me,  or  else  reform  his 
ways,  for  I  'm  going  '  o'er  the  border  and  far  awa' ' 
—  to-morrow !  " 

"  To-morrow ! "  exclaimed  Ursula,  turning 
swiftly  upon  him. 

Paul  nodded,  tossed  the  pen  aside,  and  got  down 
from,  the  table.  "If  you're  ready,  we'll  go,"  he 
said,  a  little  impatiently.  "  I  've  several,  things 
to  tell  you,  and  I  can't  in  here,  in  this  open-air 
*  coop,'  "  motioning  to  the  partitions,  which  reached 
only  halfway  to  the  ceiling,  "  where  every  word 
that 's  said  is  heard  all  over  the  building  !  Let 's 


252  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

leave  Mephisto  to  finish  picking  Driscal's  bones  in 
solitude  ;  and  we  '11  get  out." 

"  Don't  hurry,"  he  said,  as  they  crossed  City 
Hall  Park.  "  We  two  may  n't  ever  come  this 
way  again  together." 

"Why,  Paul?"  asked  Ursula  quietly.  Every 
word  of  the  story  Francie  had  told  her  was  clear  in 
Ursa's  memory,  but  she  wanted  to  hear  Paul's  side 
of  it 

"Because" — began  Paul;  snatching  off  his  hat, 
with  a  sudden  dexterous  movement  he  caught 
under  it  a  big  yellow  butterfly  that  was  sailing  by. 
"  Is  n't  he  a  fine  fellow  ?  "  He  spread  out  the 
wings  for  Ursula's  inspection  ;  then  went  a  few 
steps  out  of  his  way  to  put  the  insect  on  a  shrub, 
returning  to  his  companion,  lightly  dusting  some 
pollen  off  his  fingers.  "  Because,"  repeated  Paul 
calmly,  "the  Faculty  of  Columbia  College  have 
had  the  impertinence  to  ask  me  to  get  out.  In 
plainer  English,  I  've  been  expelled  from  college, 
and  within  a  few  weeks  of  graduation !  " 

"  Oh,  Paul !  Paul !  "  exclaimed  Ursula  brokenly ; 
and  by  her  keen  disappointment  knew  that  in 
spite  of  what  she  had  heard,  she  had  been  hoping 
against  hope  for  something  better  than  this. 

"  What  a  rackety,  twisting,  squirming  crowd  it 
is !  We  can't  talk  here,"  exclaimed  Paul  irritably. 
"  Come  this  way."  And  turning  from  the  wider 
thoroughfare,  they  made  their  way  to  a  quiet  back 
street. 

The  tall  warehouses  and  offices  were,  most  of 
them,  closed  for  the  day,  a  wagon  or  two  lumbered 


FRIEND   URSULA  253 

leisurely  homeward,  but  pedestrians  were  few,  and 
the  two  young  people  had  the  narrow  sidewalk 
mainly  to  themselves. 

"  Now,  tell  me,"  Ursula  said. 

"  Oh,  it 's  the  old  story  —  I  got  in  a  scrape," 
answered  Paul,  shrugging  his  shoulders  in  an 
attempt  at  indifference.  "  I  've  been  in  worse 
scrapes,  much  worse,"  with  a  sly  reminiscent 
smile,  "  the  only  difference  being  that  this  time  I 
was  caught."  Then  he  looked  at  the  grave  girlish 
face  so  near  his  shoulder,  and  his  own  face  grew 
serious.  "  I  '11  tell  you  something,"  he  said,  more 
earnestly  than  was  his  wont:  "  since  we  've  been 
friends  —  you  and  I  —  I  have  tried  to  turn  over 
a  new  leaf ;  this  does  n't  look  like  it,  but,  all  the 
same,  I  have.  I  promised  you  I  'd  give  more  at- 
tention to  my  work,  and  so  I  did  —  I  studied  hard. 
I  know  that  if  those  old  brutes  had  let  me  alone 
I  'd  have  gone  through  with  honors.  Only  a  few 
weeks  more  ;  but,  no  !  they  must  put  the  extin- 
guisher on  me  !  Well,"  —  again  he  shrugged  his 
shoulders,  and  returned  to  a  lighter  tone,  — 
"  there 's  no  use  crying  over  spilt  milk,  or  wishing 
you  'd  not  done  this  or  the  other,  after  the  whole 
affair  is  over.  The  best  thing  for  me  now  is  to  go 
into  voluntary  exile  —  to  get  out  of  New  York  and 
away  to  some  other  city  where  I  can  begin  over 
again.  But  this  finishes  the  lawyer  business  as 
far  as  I  am  concerned ;  that 's  one  consolation ! 
I  '11  go  ahead  now  and  follow  my  own  bent — make 
music  my  life  work.  I  've  a  friend  in  Cleveland 
who  is  looking  up  an  organist's  position  for  me. 


254  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

lie  writes  that  he 's  pretty  sure  he  's  got  just  the 
place  I  'd  like  ;  and  I  'm  starting  for  Cleveland  to- 
morrow to  find  out  if  he  's  right.  If  the  place  is 
what  I  think  it  is,  I  '11  have  entire  charge  of  the 
music  —  choir  —  all  there  is  to  it.  Just  the  work 
I  'd  love,  and  do  my  best  in." 

"  What  do  your  people  say  to  your  doing  this  ? 

—  your  father  who  has  been  expecting  so  much  of 
your  ajbilities,  and  Felix,  and  your  sister  Nannie, 
Mrs.  Derwent,  who 's  been  almost  a  mother  to  you 

—  do  they  approve  of  this  step  ?  "  asked  Ursula,  in 
the  gentle  yet  firm  manner  which  was  especially 
her  own. 

Paul  had  been  fidgeting  restlessly  while  she 
spoke.  "  Did  n't  ask  'em  —  don't  intend  to,  either," 
he  declared  shortly,  throwing  up  his  handsome 
head  and  .squaring  his  shoulders.  "  The  truth 
is,"  he  continued,  in  a  gentler  voice,  "  the  family 
don't  know  of  it  yet.  They  won't  until  I'm  gone. 
Then  —  er  —  a  relative  of  mine  will  tell  them. 
There  would  only  be  remonstrances,  hard  words, 
and  interference  from  the  pater  and  Felix ;  as  it 
is,  without  a  word  they  point  a  moral  strongly  to 
me  by  their  own  worthier  examples ;  but,  you  know, 
everybody  is  n't  built  after  the  same  prim  pattern  ; 
and  there  'd  be  sure  to  be  reproaches  and  weepings 
from  the  women  folk.  And  I  don't  feel  like  facing 
any  of  it ;  that  sort  of  thing  does  n't  mend  matters 
one  atom,  and  it's  mighty  disagreeable.  So  I  m 
going  to  skip  it  all !  Besides,  the  news  would  fly 
around  like  wildfire  —  all  our  friends — cvi-i-y- 
body'd  know  it.  Some  would  sympathize  —  some 


FRIEND  URSULA  255 

would  pity,  and  I  'd  feel  like  pommeling  them ; 
the  majority  would  call  me  a  black  sheep ;  and  all 
—  all"  Paul  laughed,  "  every  living  one  of  'em, 
would  insist  on  remodeling  my  life  for  me,  on  his 
or  her  own  particular  lines.  I  would  n't  stand 
that,  you  know ;  consequently  I  'd  be  forever  in 
hot  water,  and  simply  lead  a  dog's  life !  No ; 
I  'm  going  quietly  away  to-morrow  morning  — 
even  Alan  does  n't  know  of  it.  He  knows  of  the 
trouble  at  the  college,  but  he  would  n't  breathe  a 
word  of  it  as  long  's  I  told  him  to  keep  mum.  Poor 
old  chap  !  he  '11  be  sorry  to  have  me  gone,  though 
it  '11  be  the  better  for  him.  I  have  n't  been  a  good 
example  for  him  or  anybody!  "  Paul's  face  clouded 
for  a  moment,  then  he  threw  his  head  up  and 
began  again,  in  a  more  cheerful  voice. 

"  A  musician  is  what  I  'm  going  to  be,"  he  said, 
with  feverish  eagerness.  "  I  've  always  wanted  to 
be  one,  since  I  was  a  little  fellow,  and  the  want 
has  grown  and  strengthened  with  my  growth.  I  '11 
make  a  good  thing  of  it,  too,  Ursula,"  turning  to 
her,  his  eyes  alight  with  enthusiasm.  "You  just 
see  if  I  don't.  I  '11  try  and  get  space  on  a  paper 
for  some  musical  comments,  letters,  etc.,  to  keep 
my  literary  hand  in ;  but  mainly  my  time  will  be 
given  to  my  choir,  and  to  composing  music.  My 
brain  is  packed  full  of  melodies  —  harmonies  — 
good  things !  Just  you  wait  until  I  have  time  to 
work  some  of  them  out!  Perhaps  after  all  the 
ugly  duckling  will  turn  out  a  swan,  and  as  great 
an  ornament  to  the  family  as  brilliant  Felix,  or 
old  sober-sides,  plodding  Jack.  But  I  'd  like  to 


256  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

have  got  my  sheepskin  from  the  Alma  Mater ! 
Pretend  as  I  may  to  the  contrary,  Ursula,"  Paul 
said  abruptly,  honestly,  "  I  am  cut  up  over  this 
trouble  !  "  His  head  still  held  its  proud  poise,  but 
the  gay  boyish  face  grew  set  and  stern,  and  tears, 
hot,  infrequent  tears,  clouded  the  merry  eyes. 

"  Oh,  that  Legare  and  his  wicked,  dissipated 
set  —  how  I  hate  them  !  "  cried  Ursula,  clinching 
her  hands,  and  stiffening  her  body  in  her  anger. 

Paul  looked  pleased,  but  his  eyebrows  arched 
quizzically,  while  he  regarded  the  girl's  flushed 
face  with  an  indulgent  smile.  "  What  a  vindictive 
young  person  it  is !  "  he  said  teasingly.  "  Why 
abuse  poor  Legare  and  nourish  enmity  against 
him  and  his  friends  ?  They  could  n't  have  made 
me  go  with  them,  or  get  into  scrapes,  unless  I  had 
chosen  to  do  it.  I  'm  afraid  I  've  been  a  very 
willing  victim.  I  've  only  myself  to  blame  for 
this." 

"  Then  the  more  shame  to  you  for  it,"  was  the 
gently  spoken,  sad,  and  very  unexpected  reply  that 
came.  The  short  street  lined  with  closed  ware- 
houses through  which  they  were  passing  was  almost 
deserted,  and,  turning  suddenly,  Ursula  laid  her 
hand  on  her  companion's  sleeve,  bringing  him  to  a 
pause.  "  Paul,  we  have  been  friends  a  good  while 
now,"  she  said  very  earnestly,  "  and  this  may  be 
our  last  walk  together ;  it  may  be  years  before 
we  even  meet  again,  so  let  me  say  honestly  out 
what  is  in  my  heart.  You  know  "  —  this  was  said 
very  winningly  —  "  true  friends  can  speak  the  truth 
to  one  another  without  fear  of  being  misunder- 


FRIEND   URSULA  257 

stood.  That  is  one  of  the  beauties  and  privileges 
of  friendship.  Paul,  you  have  more  ability  than 
falls  to  most  men,  and  it  was  n't  given  to  you  to 
waste.  You  know  that." 

"  See  here,"  broke  in  Paul,  with  what  the  Rose 
family  designated  as  his  "  impudent  "  smile,  —  it 
was  a  very  contagious  smile,  —  "  are  you  playing 
that  I  'm  a  '  heathen  Chinee  '  and  you  a  mission- 
ary?" 

"  No,  I  'm  not,"  laughed  Ursa,  "  and  you  're 
not  going  to  get  out  of  your  lecture  either — don't 
you  think  that  you  are.  Now,  Paul,  please  listen  ! 
I  'm  in  earnest.  With  all  the  ability  to  do  splen- 
did things,  you  have  simply  dawdled  through  col- 
lege —  having  a  '  good  time  '  that  has  n't  been  a 
good  time  at  all.  You  know  that  Legare  and  his 
friends  are  not  the  people  for  you  to  be  in  with. 
They  're  inferior  to  you  in  intellect  and  every  other 
respect.  You  've  been  just  slipping  through  life 
in  the  easiest  fashion,  allowing  all  your  opportuni- 
ties to  go  by  unused.  Now,  Paul,  I  'm  not  going 
to  let  you  continue  treating  my  friend  in  that  slip- 
shod, aimless  fashion.  Do  you  know  what  that 
means  ? "  She  put  her  fingers  lightly  on  Paul's 
hand,  and,  in  spite  of  the  teasing,  quizzical  eyes 
that  were  upon  her,  continued  her  subject  bravely. 
"  It  means  that  I  expect  very  different  things  from 
you  in  Cleveland.  You  understand,  sir?  —  very 
different  things  —  great  things !  You  've  only  to 
follow  the  best  qualities  in  your  nature  —  you  've 
got  lots  of  good  in  you,  Paul  —  and  all  will  be 
well,  —  well  with  you,  and  with  me,  your  Fidus 


258  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

Achates.  I  've  never  blamed  you  for  not  wishing 
to  be  a  lawyer,  for  I  feel  that  you  are  really  a 
musician  born.  But  in  the  new  life,  do  put  your 
talent,  which  I  believe  to  be  God-given,  to  the  very 
best  use  —  the  highest  use.  Keep  my  friend,  Paul 
Rose,  up  to  a  high  standard,  and  you  '11  see  how 
splendid  will  be  the  result.  You  've  got  genius, 
and  fine,  noble  qualities  —  and,  do  you  know,"  — 
Ursa  broke  off  and  looked  up  at  her  friend  with 
admiration  and  pride  in  her  eyes,  — "  do  you 
know,  Paul,  I  'm  sure,  that  you  're  going  to  do 
well.  I  expect  it  of  you  —  and  I  know  you  '11  not 
disappoint  me." 

The  quiet  confidence  in  Ursula's  voice,  her  calm 
unshaken  belief  in  him,  was  especially  comforting 
to  Paul  just  then ;  it  appealed  to  the  best  in  his 
nature.  His  hands  closed  upon  Ursa's  fingers. 
"  You  are  right ;  I  have  wasted  time,  I  have  daw- 
dled, I  have  frittered  away  my  brains  in  low 
company,"  he  admitted,  with  a  frankness  that  sur- 
prised his  friend  —  Paul  was  not  given  to  self-de- 
preciation. "  And  "  —  a  firm  ring  came  into  his 
voice,  his  head  went  up  —  "you  are  also  right  in  be- 
lieving that  I  can  and  will  do  better.  The  college 
disgrace  can't  be  undone — I  suppose  it  '11  be  crop- 
ping up  all  through  my  life  !  I  must  only  live  it 
down  —  that 's  all.  And  in  the  career  I  'm  mark- 
ing out  for  myself,  I  '11  really  be  at  my  best.  I 
will  try  to  deserve  your  good  opinion.  That  '11 
not  be  such  an  easy  promise  to  keep  as  you  might 
think,  either,"  he  added,  with  an  emphatic  nod ; 
"  for  I  've  grown  weak  and  flabby  of  will  lately. 


FRIEND  URSULA  259 

But  I  've  got  some  grit  —  stowed  away  somewhere 
in  my  composition,  and  that  '11  have  to  come  to 
the  front.  I  '11  deserve  your  good  opinion  —  that 
is,  as  far  as  in  me  lieth.  You  need  never  expect 
me  to  be  the  good  little  boy  my  estimable  brother 
Jack  is  ;  we  're  cast  in  different  moulds."  He 
broke  off.  "  You  've  been  a  dear  good  friend  to 
me,  Ursula,"  he  said  warmly ;  "  even  if,"  with  a 
saucy  laugh,  "  you  are  fond  of  lecturing  me.  It 's 
been  awfully  good  of  you  interesting  yourself  in 
such  a  ne'er-do-well  as  I  am.  I  've  looked  forward 
to  our  walks  and  talks  together  from  day  to  day, 
and  " —  his  blue  eyes  looked  gratefully  at  Ursula, 
then  lighted  up  with  fun.  "  See  here,"  he  added 
abruptly,  smiling  broadly,  "did  it  ever  occur  to 
you  that  we  two  would  never 've  known  one  an- 
other so  well,  never  've  grown  to  be  friends,  if 
Legare  had  n't  cut  up  his  little  didos  and  I  come 
to  the  Leader  to  fill  his  place?  My  calling  at 
your  house  now  and  then  would  never  've  made  us 
the  friends  we  are.  We  owe  that  to  your  bete 
noir,  Legare."  He  loved  to  tease  Ursula. 

"  Legare  ! "  cried  Ursa,  making  a  saucy  face 
at  her  companion  ;  "  indeed,  't  is  a  Higher  Power 
that  brought  that  about,  not  that  horrid,  bad  man. 
Well,  I  too  am  glad  we  met,  Paul.  I  've  enjoyed 
your  friendship  immensely,"  she  said  brightly. 
"  But  what  would  Mrs.  Derwent  feel  to  hear  her 
clever  young  brother,  on  whom  she  's  building  such 
hopes,  call  himself  a  ne'er-do-well?  You're  no 
such  thing,  sir.  I  won't  have  you  call  yourself  that 
wretched  name.  This  trouble  has  come  because 


2GO  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

you  did  n't  have  the  courage  to  say  '  No '  to  plea- 
sure —  because  you  did  n't  dream  what  it  was 
leading  you  to.  Now  you  've  learned  a  lesson  —  a 
sad,  hard  lesson,  dear  friend,  that  was  n't  in  the 
college  curriculum ;  and  you  're  going  to  put  all 
the  old  weaknesses  behind  you,  and  learn  to  stand 
up  straight  upon  your  own  feet.  I  know  you  are. 
Oh,  the  pride  I  shall  take,  in  a  very  few  more 
years,  in  my  friend,  the  famous  organist  and  com- 
poser, Mr.  Paul  Rose  ;  perhaps  it  '11  be  Doctor  Rose 
by  then  —  Doctor  of  Music;  eh,  Paul?"  She 
laughed  so  blithely  that  Paul  joined  in  the  laugh. 

"  Don't  you  think  you  might  write  Mrs.  Der-. 
went  a  few  lines  before  you  go?  "  suggested  this 
artful  Ursula,  following  up  the  laugh,  and  still 
smiling.  **  Think  how  sad  it  '11  make  her  to  have 
you  away.  She  loves  you  so  dearly,  and  you  've 
told  me  yourself  that  she  's  been  a  good  sister. 
To  know  that  you  thought  of  her  at  the  last  might 
help  her  a  little  to  bear  your  absence.  Just  a  line 
or  two.  Could  n't  y  ou  ?  " 

There  was  a  silence ;  Paul  kicked  a  piece  of 
orange  peel  off  the  sidewalk  with  unnecessary 
force.  Then,  "  Oh,  I  suppose  I  could,"  he  said 
presently,  rather  sulkily.  "  Nannie  has  been  the 
best  sister  in  the  world,"  he  added.  "  But  there  'a 
Max  —  he  'd  have  to  know  !  " 

"  Well,  what  if  he  does?  You  don't  mind  that, 
do  you  ?  He  'd  soon  hear  everything,  anyway, 
you  know,"  remarked  Ursula  sensibly.  "  I  don't 
believe  Mr.  Derwent  would  think  the  less  of  you 
for  remembering  your  sister,  do  you  ?  "  this  very 


FRIEND  URSULA  261 

innocently.  "  He  has  always  seemed  such  a  fine 
man." 

"  He  is  a  fine  man,"  returned  Paul  briefly,  and 
began  striding  along  at  such  a  pace  that  Ursula 
had  to  drop  into  a  brisk  little  trot  to  keep  up  with 
him.  There  was  a  frown  on  Paul's  forehead  as 
he  swung  along,  his  eyes  looked  gloomily,  abstract- 
edly, ahead. 

"  You  must  write  to  me,  Paul,"  cheerfully  ob- 
served the  wise  young  friend  beside  him.  "  Just 
as  soon  as  you  're  settled  and  can  do  it  comfort- 
ably, send  me  a  nice  long  letter.  Tell  me  about 
your  life  —  your  work,  your  room,  the  friends  you 
make,  and,  especially,  about  the  music  you  '11  be 
composing.  I  shall  want  to  know  everything 
about  that.  Of  course  I  '11  answer.  I  '11  give  you 
all  the  news  of  the  office,  and  of  home,  and  every- 
thing else  I  can  think  of.  And  please  to  remem- 
ber, Mr.  Paul  Rose,"  -  Ursa  was  as  saucy  as  her 
scant  breath  would  allow,  —  "  that  you  '11  not  get 
long  letters  unless  you  send  long  letters.  See  ?  " 

For  answer  her  companion  gave  a  sort  of  grunt  ; 
and  they  hurried  along  for  some  distance  in  si- 
lence. Then,  with  a  start,  Paul  suddenly  roused 
himself,  and  unconsciously  slackened  his  pace. 
"  Well !  I  am  a  selfish  animal !  "  he  declared  with 
compunction.  "  All  this  time  I  've  been  gabbling 
of  my  own  affairs  !  Tell  me  something  of  your- 
self. Anything  new  in  your  home  world  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  two  important  somethings,"  answered 
Ursula  readily.  "Margaret  has  ended  her  en- 
gagement with  Mr.  Austin." 


262  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

"  Oh,  ho  !  she  has,  eh  ? "  observed  Paul,  with 
interest.  "  Well ;  I  'm  not  surprised.  Austin 's  a 
nice  enough  fellow  ;  but  a  man  of  his  age  —  and 
such  a  puny  specimen  at  that  —  had  no  business 
to  expect  to  carry  off  a  beautiful  girl  like  your 
sister  Margaret.  I  think  she  's  done  a  wise  thing  ! 
What 's  the  other  piece  of  news  ?  " 

"  One  in  which  you  come  in  for  a  share  —  you 
may  know  of  it  already  —  Frances  is  engaged  to 
your  brother,  Jack,"  announced  Francie's  sister. 
"  Is  n't  it  odd  that  the  two  events  should  have 
come  together  —  one  upon  the  heels  of  the  other  ?  " 

Paul  started  away  from  Ursula's  side  in  wide- 
eyed  astonishment.  "  What!"  he  cried  incred- 
ulously. "  Well !  of  all  the  bold  beggars ! 
There  's  no  earthly  reason  why  Jack  should  n't  en- 
gage himself  and  get  married,"  he  added  presently, 
still  with  surprise  in  his  tones.  "  But,  somehow, 
he 's  the  last  person  in  the  world  I  expected  to  hear 
had  done  it.  So  Miss  Frances  is  to  be  my  sister- 
in-law  ;  Jack 's  in  luck."  But  there  was  a  slight 
note  of  bitterness  in  Paul's  voice  ;  his  own  disap- 
pointment rose  up  again  before  him,  and  Ursula 
guessed  it. 

"  I  think  it'll  be  a  long  engagement,"  she  said 
quietly,  "  as  your  brother  is  not  at  present  in  a 
position  to  support  a  wife.  But  they  're  both 
young ;  they  can  wait.  I  don't  know  if  all  your 
family  have  been  told  of  the  event,"  she  added, 
"but  Mrs.  Erveng  knows,  and  Mrs.  Derwent. 
They  called  on  Francie  yesterday." 

"  Can't  afford  to  marry  ?  "  cried  Paul.     "  Why 


FRIEND  URSULA  263 

not  ?  Jack's  salary  from  the  Leader  is  n't  a  large 
income,  but  I  know  he  has  money  saved,  and 
besides,  his  books  bring  him  in  a  little  some- 
thing "  —  A  sudden  stinging  recollection  enlight- 
ened his  mind,  turning  him  red  and  very  warm, 
and  bringing  with  it  a  wave  of  feeling  in  which 
was  humiliation,  an  unusual  sense  of  gi-atitude, 
and,  what  was  far  less  frequent  with  Paul  Rose, 
of  distinct  and  genuine  disfavor  with  himself.  "  I 
know  why  he  never  told  me  of  his  engagement," 
Paul  said  slowly,  in  a  tone  so  conscience-stricken 
that  Ursula  knew  at  once  where  his  thoughts  had 
gone. 

"All  things,  good  or  bad,  have  an  ending  — 
here  we  are  at  home,"  she  said,  as  they  reached 
the  Jeffreys'  house.  "  And,"  lowering  her  voice  as 
they  ascended  the  steps,  "  there  is  some  one  ahead 
of  us." 

The  "  some  one "  was  a  man,  peering  at  the 
names  over  the  bells,  which  were  indistinct  in  the 
dim,  as  yet  unlighted  vestibule.  As  the  two  young 
people  entered,  the  man  turned  to  meet  them,  lift- 
ing his  gray  hat  with  a  flourish  ;  he  prided  him- 
self on  that  bow. 

"  I  am  looking  for  a  family  of  the  name  of  Jef- 
frey. I  've  rung  a  bell,  but  am  not  sure  it  is  theirs. 
Can  you  tell  me  if  they  live  here  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  The  Jeffreys  live  at  the  top  of  the  house," 
Ursula  informed  him. 

"That  you,  Harwood?  Why,  wherever  did 
you  spring  from,  into  this  part  of  the  world  ? " 
exclaimed  Paul,  at  sight  of  the  man's  face. 


264  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

The  musical  director  did  not  look  overpleased 
at  the  meeting.  "  I  'm  on  a  matter  of  business," 
he  answered  stiffly.  "  I  might  ask,  what  're  you 
doing  here  ?  " 

But  just  then  the  front  door  sprang  open  with 
a  click,  and  Mr.  Harwood  hastily  slid  himself 
within  it. 

"  That  fellow  runs  a  light-opera-general-variety 
theatre,  that 's  very  popular,  but  he  himself  is  as 
unscrupulous  an  individual  as  could  be  found  any- 
where," remarked  Paul.  "  He  's  one  of  Legare's 
cronjes  ;  and  he 's  treated  the  old  man  badly,  too. 
He  is  n't  to  be  trusted.  Bear  that  in  mind,  if  any 
of  you  people  have  dealings  with  him.  Look  out 
for  trickery ! " 

"I  can't  imagine  what  he  can 've  come  for," 
Ursula  said  uneasily ;  she  never  thought  of  con- 
necting this  man  with  Francie's  adventure  in  the 
park. 

Paul  put  out  his  hand.  "  Well  —  I  won't  keep 
you  any  longer,"  he  said  abruptly,  then  stood 
holding  Ursa's  hand  in  a  firm  clasp.  "  I  've  an- 
other incentive  to  do  my  best  in  Cleveland,"  he 
added.  "  I  owe  a  big  debt  of  more  than  gratitude 
to  Jack.  Jack 's  a  good  fellow,  most  unselfish  — 
as  men  go  ;  your  sister  might  have  done  worse 
than  to  take  him.  I  've  an  account  to  settle  with 
Jack,  first  thing.  And  there's  your  good  opin- 
ion of  me  to  be  justified.  Large  contracts  to  fill 
—  eh  ?  Tell  you  what,  Ursula,  you  're  a  pretty 
brave  girl  to  have  faith  in  me  after  all  you  know ! 
If  I  ever  amount  to  anything,  you  will  've  had  a 


FRIEND  URSULA  265 

big  hand  in  the  doing  of  it.  Well  —  I  can  only 
do  my  best.  Good-by !  " 

"  I  know  you  —  therefore  I  believe  in  you,"  an- 
swered Ursula ;  she  had  to  cough  to  cover  the  flut- 
tering of  her  breath  in  her  throat.  "  Now  don't 
forget — a  few  lines  to  Mrs.  Derwent.  And  one 
line  —  just  one,  Paul  —  to  your  sister  Madel — 
your  twin  sister.  Ah  —  please  !  " 

"  Oh,  you  wheedler ! "  cried  Paul,  shaking  his 
finger  at  her.  "  If  that  is  n't  like  a  woman  !  Give 
her  an  inch  "  — 

"  I  'm  equal  to  asking  for  a  good  deal  more 
than  an  ell,"  broke  in  Ursa  saucily.  "  That 's 
letting  you  off  very  easily.  You  '11  do  it,  Paul  ?  " 
She  gave  his  hand  a  little  shake  to  make  him 
answer  her. 

Paul  smiled  down  indulgentty  upon  her.  "  Yes, 
I'll  write  Madel  a  line,"  he  said  presently,  "  and 
—  I  '11  not  write  to  Nannie  "  —  He  paused. 

"  Oh,  Paul !  "  exclaimed  Ursula,  sharp  disap- 
pointment in  her  voice. 

"  I  '11  not  write  to  Nannie,"  repeated  Paul  teas- 
ingly,  "  but  I  '11  go  and  see  her  this  evening, 
confess  everything,  and  have  a  good  talk  with  her." 

"  You  dear  boy  !  Oh,  I  'm  so  pleased  !  "  cried 
Ursula,  in  delighted  incoherency  ;  "  that  's  ten 
thousand  times  better.  You  're  a  great  tease,  sir, 
that 's  what  you  are.  Paul,  stoop  your  head." 
As  he  wonderingly  did  so,  Ursa  put  her  hands 
upon  his  shoulders  and  kissed  him  lightly  on  his 
forehead.  "  There !  "  she  said  hurriedly,  blushing 
scarlet  in  the  dim  light,  "  that 's  for  what  you  're 


266  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

going  to  do  and  be  —  from  the  friend  who  be- 
lieves in  you,  with  all  her  heart.  Good-by,  Paul ; 
good-by,  dear  friend !  God  bless  you  !  " 

"  Amen ! "  eagerly  responded  Paul.  "  Ur- 
sula"— 

But  the  door  had  sprung  open  again,  and  Ursula 
was  gone. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE   SWEETENER   OF   LIFE 

"UNCLE  GABE,  do  see  him  for  me,"  eagerly 
begged  Frances,  when  told  of  Mr.  Harwood's 
arrival.  "  I  don't  want  to  sing  in  his  opera,  I 
would  n't  for  anything  he  could  offer  me.  And 
I  could  n't,  anyhow,  now  that  I  've  written  Mr. 
Custis,  accepting  his  offer.  I  don't  know  what 
possessed  me  to  give  that  man  my  address.  You 
go  in  and  see  him  for  me,  won't  you  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Gabriel,  do  go,"  urged  Mrs.  Jeffrey 
uneasily ;  and,  "  If  he  makes  any  trouble,  shout, 
and  I  '11  come  help  you  annihilate  him,"  supple- 
mented Basil,  who  was  at  the  house. 

But  the  musical  director  refused  to  accept  uncle 
Gabriel's  settlement  of  the  matter. 

"  My  offer  was  made  to  Miss  Jeffrey  herself,  and 
from  her,  and  no  other,  will  I  take  my  answer,"  he 
declared,  getting  very  red  in  the  face,  and  glaring 
at  the  little  clergyman.  "  I  'in  offering  her  a  fine 
start  in  life  —  the  best  she  could  have  —  and  I 
can't  believe  she  'd  be  foolish  enough  to  throw  all 
that  over  to  sing  in  a  church  for  a  paltry  four 
hundred  a  year !  " 

Mr.  Kincaid  drew  himself  up.  "  Sir,"  he  re- 
marked with  dignity,  "money  is  not  the  only  con- 


268  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

sideration  in  the  world.  My  niece  prefers  to  sing 
in  a  church ;  and  no  offer  on  your  part  will  move 
her  from  her  decision." 

"  If  this  is  your  doing,  sir,  it 's  a  great  piece  of 
injustice  to  your  niece,"  fumed  the  manager,  strid- 
ing about  the  small  drawing-room,  "  the  greatest 
you  could  do  her,  and  shows  a  narrow-minded- 
ness I  did  n't  expect  from  the  cloth,  sir.  No,  sir, 
I  did  n't,  not  in  these  enlightened  days.  I  've 
sent  Miss  Jeffrey  my  credentials,  from  the  best 
people  in  this  city,  showing  that  everything  's 
square  and  above  board  with  me,  and  I  can't  un- 
derstand her  refusal.  Unless  "  —  wheeling  round, 
he  eyed  uncle  Gabriel  with  suspicion  — "  unless 
some  one  else  has  made  her  a  bigger  offer."  He 
mistook  the  little  man's  astonished  silence  for 
confusion. 

"  I  tell  you  what  I  '11  do,"  he  cried.  "  There 's 
nothing  mean  about  me  ;  I  offered  Miss  Jeffrey 
thirty-five  dollars  a  week  to  begin  with  —  I  '11  make 
it  forty !  Forty,  sir,  cash  down,  every  week.  If 
that  is  n't  generous  toward  a  beginner,  tell  me  what 
is  I  Better  clinch  the  bargain  at  once." 

Uncle  Gabriel  stroked  his  shaven  chin,  and 
looked  curiously  at  the  blatant  speaker.  "  I  don't 
think  it  would  make  any  difference  if  you  offered 
fifty  dollars,"  he  said  quietly.  "  But  I  '11  call  the 
young  lady  and  let  her  speak  for  herself." 

"  Ha !  that 's  fetching  him !  Thought  it  would," 
reflected  Mr.  Harwood,  congratulating  himself  on 
his  shrewdness. 

In  a  few  minutes  Mr.  Kincaid  returned  with 


THE  SWEETENER  OF  LIFE  269 

Frances,  whom  the  musical  director  met  with  effu- 
sive politeness ;  but  he  was  a  good  deal  discon- 
certed at  the  sight  of  Basil  Fabrey,  who  followed 
closely  upon  her  steps. 

"  Ah  —  how  do  !  "  Basil  said,  with  an  air  of 
careless  condescension,  barely  acknowledging  the 
manager's  bow.  "  Well,  Harwood,"  he  continued, 
in  the  same  lordly  tone,  and  lounging  against  the 
piano,  —  no  one  sat  down,  —  "  what 's  all  the  fuss  ? 
What  're  you  bothering  my  cousin  about  ?  " 

"  I  did  n't  know  she  was  your  cousin,"  exclaimed 
Harwood.  A  good  deal  of  his  assurance  appeared 
to  have  deserted  him,  and  he  kept  glancing  un- 
easily at  young  Fabrey  as  Mr.  Kincaid  repeated  to 
Frances  the  last  offer  that  had  been  made  her. 

"  H'm  !  That 's  a  pretty  good  offer,"  commented 
Basil.  "  Business  must  be  flourishing ;  guess  I  '11 
call  upon  you,  Harwood." 

"  It 's  an  investment,  Mr.  Fabrey,"  urged  the 
manager,  a  little  whine  coming  into  his  voice. 
"No  business  can  thrive  without  some  outlay  of 
money." 

"  It 's  extremely  liberal  of  you  to  make  me  a 
still  larger  offer,"  Francie  said,  feeling  very  brave 
between  her  two  defenders,  "but  I  would  not  be 
willing  to  accept  it  should  you  even  offer  me  a 
hundred  dollars  a  week.  I've  nothing  against 
you,"  she  hastened  to  add  (she  had  not  yet  heard 
Ursula's  report)  ;  "  in  fact,  I  'm  very  much  obliged 
for  all  the  advice  you  've  given  me,  and  your  in- 
terest in  my  voice.  But  I  've  decided  to  sing  in  a 
church." 


270  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

"  You  're  making  a  mistake  —  a  big  mistake ! " 
cried  Mr.  Harwood,  throwing  out  one  hand  in  a 
gesture  of  remonstrance  while  with  the  other  he 
mopped  his  warm  red  face.  "  You  're  just  bury- 
ing your  talents." 

"  I  don't  say  I  never  will  sing  in  opera,  for  I  'd 
love  to,  and  I  may  —  some  day,  years  from  now. 
I  can't  tell  what  I  shall  do."  Frances  colored  up ; 
she  was  thinking  of  Jack's  speech  that  afternoon 
in  the  park,  and  of  the  changed  conditions  of  her 
life.  "  But  at  present  I  intend  to  sing  in  a  church 
—  on  that  point  I  am  quite  decided." 

"  Then  there 's  no  use  in  my  staying  on  here," 
declared  Harwood,  taking  up  his  hat.  "  I  '11  only 
add  that  the  offer  remains  open,  miss.  Whenever 
you  feel  like  going  in  for  a  career,  drop  a  line  to 
the  address  on  this  card"  —he  laid  one  on  the 
table  —  "  and  I  '11  call  at  once.  I  bid  you  all 
good-day !  "  With  a  flourish  of  the  gray  hat,  he 
passed  out  into  the  public  hall. 

Mr.  Kincaid  stood  at  the  drawing-room  door, 
but  Basil  followed  the  musical  director  to  the  head 
of  the  steps.  The  young  man's  long  jaw  was  set 
firmly ;  his  brows  met  in  a  heavy  frown  above  the 
light  watchful  eyes.  "  See  here,  Harwood,"  he 
said  sternly,  "  this  business  is  settled  now  and  for 
always.  Just  bear  that  in  mind.  No  annoying 
of  Miss  Jeffrey,  or  I'll  send  my  lawyer  to  call 
upon  you  —  You  know  what  that  means ! " 

Harwood  would  have  greatly  enjoyed  laying 
violent  hands  upon  young  Fabrey,  but  for  cogent 
reasons  of  his  own,  swallowed  his  wrath.  "  You 


THE  SWEETENER  OF  LIFE  271 

should  n't  be  hard  on  a  man  for  being  enterpris- 
ing. I  was  n't  to  know  she  was  your  cousin,"  he 
remarked  sulkily. 

"  So  you  know  him,"  observed  uncle  Gabriel, 
as  Basil  joined  him. 

"  Know  him  !  I  should  think  I  did  —  the  ras- 
cal !  He  owes  me  a  pile  of  money  —  that  I  can't 
get  a  cent  of ! "  answered  the  new  cousin  incau- 
tiously. 

"A  pile  of  money!  "  repeated  uncle  Gabe,  look- 
ing puzzled.  "  Why,  I  thought "  — 

"  Tcha  !  "  exclaimed  Basil,  snapping  his  fingers 
with  impatience  at  his  own  slip,  and  scowling 
fiercely.  "  Oh,  it 's  a  long  story  —  I  '11  tell  it  all  to 
you  some  time  soon,"  he  added  hastily.  "  But  in 
the  mean  while  oblige  me  by  not  saying  anything 
about  it  to  the  family." 

One  pleasant  afternoon,  some  weeks  later,  Judith 
made  her  way  up  the  narrow  creaking  stairs  of 
a  tenement  house,  and  along  the  dark  hall  to  a 
door,  on  which  she  knocked — bell  there  was  none. 
Almost  immediately  the  door  was  opened  by  a  tall 
fair  girl  dressed  in  black,  whose  sad  face  brightened 
at  sight  of  the  other  girl. 

"  Oh,  Miss  Judith !  I  'm  awful  glad  to  see 
you ! "  she  exclaimed ;  and  then  two  big  tears 
came  running  down  her  pale  cheeks. 

Judy's  arm  went  round  the  narrow  shoulders, 
and  she  kissed  the  girl  warmly.  "  Why  did  n't 
you  send  for  me,  Louise  ?  I  've  only  just  heard  of 
your  father's  death  and  burial,"  she  said. 


272  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

"  It  was  so  suddent "  —  Louise's  voice  failed. 
Then  warmly,  "  Come  in  the  parlor,  Miss  Judith, 
come  in,"  she  urged.  "  I  know  mama  '11  be  glad 
to  see  you." 

Though  the  Laidlers  had  but  recently  been 
added  to  Judy's  "visiting"  list,  they  were  a 
family  among  her  poor  people  for  whom  she  hud  a 
high  regard  as  well  as  liking.  The  small  front 
room  into  which  Louise  now  ushered  her  was  in 
the  same  state  of  perfect  neatness  as  it  had  been 
on  all  of  Judy's  previous  visits.  The  "  parlor  suit " 
of  red  cotton  velvet,  plentifully  decorated  with 
crocheted  tidies,  was  set  stiffly  against  the  wall ; 
on  the  narrow,  bright-covered  mantel-board  stood 
a  family  fetich  in  the  shape  of  a  bunch  of  skele- 
tonized leaves  under  a  tall  glass  shade ;  a  small 
marble-topped  table  held  its  place  in  the  centre  of 
the  room,  with  a  crocheted  scarf  threaded  with 
blue  and  yellow  ribbons  lying  across  it,  and  on  this 
much  admired  piece  of  handiwork  was  the  family 
album,  a  large  affair  with  heavy  gilt  clasps,  and 
on  each  corner  a  good-sized  gilt  knob  on  which  the 
book  rested. 

Yet  there  were  changes  in  the  room  since  Judy 
was  last  there,  and  her  eyes  quickly  took  note  of 
them.  On  a  table  in  one  corner  was  a  sheaf  of 
wheat  tied  in  the  middle  with  a  black  ribbon  ;  over 
the  father's  picture,  which  hung  on  the  wall,  a  slen- 
der bit  of  crape  was  draped,  and  the  comfortable, 
chintz-covered  old  chair  in  which  the  invalid  had 
sat  for  so  many  years  had  been  moved  from  its 
customary  place  in  the  window,  and  now  stood 


THE  SWEETENER  OF  LIFE  273 

empty  against  the  wall.  Between  the  windows  was 
a  low  frame,  —  of  the  kind  used  in  making  fringes, 
—  and  from  it  hung  loose  strands  of  gay-colored 
silk. 

"  I  could  n'  leave  mama  this  week,  an'  they  was 
that  good  at  the  factory  they  sent  up  my  work," 
Louise  explained,  with  a  glance  at  the  frame. 
"  We  're  jus'  rushed  with  orders  now  to  the  fac- 
tory —  so  the  work  had  to  be  done  !  " 

"Go  on  working  while  we  talk,"  suggested 
Judith. 

But  with  "I'd  best  call  mama  first,"  Louise 
left  the  room. 

In  a  very  few  minutes  she  was  back,  and  with 
her  came  a  little,  plump  woman,  heavy  eyed  and 
sad  of  face,  yet  pretty,  and  looking  hardly  old 
enough  to  be  more  than  elder  sister  to  tall,  serious 
Louise.  Behind  the  mother  and  daughter  walked 
a  little  fair-haired  girl  of  about  ten,  and  a  very 
delicate  misshapen  boy  of  eight.  The  children 
seated  themselves  on  two  of  the  chairs  ranged 
against  the  wall,  and  from  there  gazed  solemnly 
and  unremittingly  at  the  visitor. 

"  Yes,  ma'am,  it  vass  awful  suddent  to  de  last," 
Mrs.  Laidler  said  sadly  in  reply  to  a  remark  from 
Judy.  She  spoke  in  a  low,  very  quiet  voice,  and 
in  broken  English.  "  Pappa  haff  been  sick  dat 
long  —  ailin'  und  ailin'  all  de  time,  und  yet  holdin' 
on  —  dat  we  neffer  t'ought  he  'd  go  so  quvick.  It 
vass  seventeen  year  ago  pappa  get  hurt.  He  vass 
on  a  ladder,  und  it  fell  mit  'im,  und  proke  his 
rib  —  und  de  proken  piece  off  dat  rib  stick  into  de 


274  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

lungs.  He  vass  very  sick  for  two  years ;  den  de 
doctor  say  he  can  go  back  to  vork,  und  pappa  vent. 
De  chil'ren  vass  liT,  und  de  money  ve  'd  save  vass 
mos'  gone  —  he  vass  awful  glad  to  get  to  vork 
again.  But "  —  she  shook  her  head  sadly  —  "  be- 
fore von  veek  vass  out  dey  had  to  pring  'im  home 
mit  bleedin'  off  de  lungs.  Und  it  vass  so  from  dat 
day  —  he  haff  not  de  strengk  to  vork,  dough  he 
try  und  try  —  pappa  vass  not  lasey.  Ef en  dose 
pickshurs,"  she  pointed  to  the  large  framed  photo- 
graphs hanging  on  the  opposite  wall,  "he  vould 
heng  dem  up ;  und  vhen  he  finish,  dere  vass  de 
bleedin'  back  again.  He  haff  a  cough,  a  very  bad 
cough  —  und  dat  get  vorse  und  vorse  —  undtil " 
The  widow  made  a  slight,  pathetic  gesture  with  the 
hands  lying  loosely  clasped  in  her  lap,  and  a  tear 
ran  down  her  face. 

"  We  did  n'  know  he  was  so  sick  —  worse  'n 
usual,"  Louise  said,  glancing  up  from  the  gay  silks, 
in  and  out  of  which  her  nimble  fingers  were  flying. 
"  Papa  was  never  the  one  to  complain." 

"  Neffer  —  neffer !  "  exclaimed  the  mother  ear- 
nestly. "  Mos'  people  vhat  is  sick  —  sick  —  all  de 
time  vill  get  cross  und  —  vhat,  Visa  ?  "  She  looked 
inquiringly  at  her  American  daughter. 

"  Selfish,  mama,"  supplied  Louise. 

"  Yes  —  but  he  vass  neffer  dat,"  went  on  the 
little  woman,  not  trusting  herself  with  the  word, 
of  which  she  knew  the  meaning  but  not  the  pro- 
nunciation. "Dere  vassn'  a  petter, kinder  man  in 
all  dis  city  dan  mein  Wilhelm  !  He  haff  de  best 
heart !  He  vass  so  'f  raid  off  giffin'  drouble  —  efen 


THE  SWEETENER  OF  LIFE  275 

to  me  !  Vhen  his  strengk  go  und  he  can  do  not- 
ting  else,  he  sit  in  dat  chair,"  she  pointed  to  the 
empty  one  against  the  wall,  "  day  in,  day  out,  sick 
or  veil,  und  make  baskets  und  cane  chairs  —  to 
pring  in  a  penny.  He  neffer  grumble,  dough  he 
vass  alway  in  pain  —  und  neffer  go  out  for  de  valks 
or  goot  times.  Und  it  vorry  him  —  vorry  him  all 
de  time  dat  he  pe  a  purden  on  me  und  de  kinder. 
But  he  vass  neffer  a  purden  —  neffer.  He  say, 
'  Oh,  mama,  you  vork  so  hard  ! '  but  I  feel  not  like 
I  vork  at  all  —  for  I  haff  pappa  mit  me.  Now  vill 
pe  de  hard  vork  !  No  voman  haff  a  petter  man 
dan  me  —  no  chil'ren  haff  a  petter  vater  dan  dese. 
Ain't  dat  so,  Visa  ?  " 

"  That 's  so,  mama,"  answered  Louise,  pausing 
in  her  work  long  enough  to  brush  a  tear  from 
her  cheek.  The  eyes  of  the  little  boy  were  fixed 
upon  his  mother,  his  pale  face  intent ;  but  the  girl 
broke  out  in  a  sob,  which,  however,  was  quickly 
silenced  by  a  few  words  from  Louise,  who  called 
her  to  her  side. 

"You  mus' n' cry  out  loud  like  that,  Tilly," 
Louise  said,  in  a  low  voice.  "  Mama  feels  awful 
bad  —  you  mus'  n'  make  her  feel  worse.  You  know 
papa  always  say  we  mus'  be  good  to  mama  after 
he  's  gone.  Go  sit  over  there  on  the  lounge,  — 
back  of  mama,  — then  she  can't  see  you  cry.  An' 
don'  make  no  noise." 

Judy  heard  the  whispered  words,  and  saw  the 
weeping  child  slip  gently  into  the  little  corner 
behind  her  mother.  But  the  widow  neither  saw 
nor  heard  what  was  transpiring  around  her,  her 


276  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

thoughts  were  with  the  dear  one  who  had  passed 
away  from  earth.  It  seemed  a  relief  to  her  to 
talk ;  and  Judith  listened  in  the  most  sympathetic 
silence. 

"  Ef rey  now  und  den,  pappa  haff  spells  —  mit 
de  pain  in  de  lungs,"  Mrs.  Laidler  went  on.  "  Und 
vhen  ve  sen's  for  de  doctor  for  him  dis  time,  li'l'  did 
I  tream  he  vass  goin'  to  leaf  me !  Vhen  he  haff 
de  spells,  he  sleep  here,"  she  put  out  a  little  work- 
roughened  hand  and  touched  caressingly  the  cot- 
lounge  on  which  she  sat,  "  to  haff  more  air  —  und 
here  he  died  !  De  doctor  come  late  dat  night.  I 
ask  him,  '  How  iss  he  ? '  He  say,  '  He  iss  very 
sick,  but  I  t'ink  he  pull  t'rough.'  Dat 's  vhat  he 
say  most  times  when  pappa  be  ill.  I  sit  up  mit 
pappa  dat  night."  The  widow's  eyes  were  fixed 
upon  the  floor,  and  the  quiet  tears  that  rolled 
down  her  cheeks  fell  unheeded  upon  the  hands  in 
her  lap.  "  I  t'ought  he  vass  sleepin' ;  den  he  open 
his  eyes.  '  Mama,'  he  say,  off  a  suddent,  '  le'  me 
put  mein  head  on  your  shoulder  ?  '  I  say,  '  Vhy, 
pappa,  cert'nly ! '  He  put  his  head  down  heavy, 
like  a  miides  land,  und  he  hoi'  mein  han'.  '  Visa,' 
he  say,  '  ve  haff  been  happy  togedder  —  ain't  ve  ? ' 
Mein  heart  gif  a  big  yump  —  1  get  'f raid  —  he  haff 
not  call  me  '  Visa  '  since  our  Hans  vass  a  baby ; 
und  he  is  now  twenty-t'ree,  und  vorkin'  out  in  Col- 
orado—  mit  his  lungs.  I  say,  *  Yes,  dear  pappa, 
ve  haff  been  very  happy  togedder ! '  Den  he  talk 
of  vhen  ve  vass  young  und  he  vass  courtin'  me. 
I  vass  a  maid  in  de  house  of  his  employer" — the 
heavy,  tear-swollen  eyes  were  lifted  to  Judith  for 


THE   SWEETENER  OF  LIFE  277 

an  instant,  then  sank  again, — "und  Wilhelm  come 
dere  to  heng  pickshurs  und  a  spiegel  —  vhat  you 
call  lookin'-glass  —  dat  vass  his  pusiness.  Ve  vass 
bote  from  de  Vaterland  —  ve  vass  bote  lonely  —  I 
vass  heavy  mit  mein  heart "  — 

"  She  means  sad,"  put  in  Louise  softly. 

"But  vhen  he  love  me,  I  vass  happy  —  ach!" 
The  hands  in  the  widow's  lap  tightened  their  hold 
on  each  other.  "  I  haff  much  to  t'ank  God  for. 
He  haff  gif  me  a  goot  man  dat  haff  love  me  veil. 
'  Ah,'  he  say  dat  las'  night,  '  if  I  only  could  haff 
been  a  well  man,  mama,  und  not  a  purden  to  you, 
I  could  haff  make  a  goot  vages  und  lef  you 
somet'ing.  I  been  a  great  care  to  you,  mama  — 
und  you  neffer  grumble  —  you  neffer  scold  mit  me 
'cause  I  not  pring  in  de  money.'  '  Pappa,  pappa ! 
Wilhelm,  mein  Hebe  !  '  I  say,  und  I  cry.  '  It  iss 
not  money  dat  makes  de  life  sweet,'  I  say ;  '  it  iss 
de  love  —  und  dat  ve  haff  —  you  und  me.  You 
neffer  haff  been  a  purden  to  me  —  neffer!  Und 
how  you  say  so  ? '  I  ask  him.  '  Who  iss  it  haff 
pring  up  de  chil'ren  so  veil  und  so  vise,  und  make 
dem  to  t'ink  off  God,  und  be  honest  —  vass  dat  I  ? 
Und  who  does  all  de  t'ings  roun'  de  house,  und 
safes  de  li'P  weibe  t'ousand  steps,  und  prings  de 
laugh  for  her  vhen  she  's  tired  —  ain't  dat  you  ? 
Und  who  gets  up  in  de  night  vhen  de  kinder  be 
sick,  und  vill  not  vake  me ;  who  shut  all  de  vin- 
ders  in  de  shtorm  und  vill  not  let  me  go  near  dem, 
for  fear  I  catch  cold  —  ain't  dat  you  ?  Ah,  pappa, 
you  haff  been  goot  to  me  like  I  vass  your  chile  as 
veil 's  your  vif e.  1  haff  been  very  happy  mit  you ! ' 


278  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

Und  I  kiss  him.  He  say,  '  Mama,  I  feel  petter  — 
I  t'ink  I  vill  shleep  now  —  pest  I  go  pack  to  de 
lounge.'  He  say  dat  'cause  he  t'ink  I  vass  tired 
holdin'  'im.  But  I  say,  'No,  pappa,  you  shleep 
vhere  you  are  —  I  like  dat  petter.'  He  say  not- 
ting,  but  he  kiss  me  right  —  here,"  Mrs.  Laidler 
raised  one  hand  to  the  short  full  white  throat  left 
bare  by  the  low  collar  of  her  black  calico  dress, 
and  designated  a  spot  just  below  her  left  ear.  "  He 
kiss  me  here.  Den  he  shleep  —  but  only  a  little 
vhile.  He  voke  mit  a  great  shtart  und  called  out 
loud,  *  Mama,  dere  iss  a  Gott  im  himmel  —  I  leaf 
you  mit  Him ! '  Dat  vass  all  —  mein  man  vass 
gone  !  "  She  sat  with  bent  head,  the  tears  pouring 
down  her  cheeks,  but  with  no  sob  or  sound  of  grief. 

The  little  girl  on  the  corner  of  the  lounge  was 
rocking  herself  to  and  fro  in  a  passion  of  sorrow, 
smothering  her  sobs  as  best  she  could ;  Louise  and 
Judith  were  weeping ;  but  in  the  eyes  of  the  boy 
were  no  tears.  Getting  down  deliberately  from 
his  chair,  he  walked  over  to  his  mother,  and  took 
her  nand  in  his  clawlike  fingers. 

"  Mama,"  he  cried,  in  a  shrill  quavering  voice, 
"  I  be  Wilhelm,  like  papa,  —  I'll  take  care  er  you 
now  he 's  gone." 

The  bold  promise  was  so  at  variance  with  the 
child's  appearance  —  the  abnormally  large  head 
connected  with  the  misshapen  shoulders  by  the 
merest  thread  of  a  neck,  the  stick-like,  rickety 
legs,  the  pinched  white  face  —  that  Judy's  lips 
took  on  curves  of  tender  pity,  and,  in  the  midst  of 
her  tears,  Louise  smiled. 


THE  SWEETENER  OF  LIFE  279 

But  the  mother  saw  only  the  brave  spirit  shining 
in  her  little  lad's  eyes.  "  Ja  ;  dat  you  vill,  mein 
Villie,"  she  said  gratefully,  passing  an  arm  around 
the  boy  and  pressing  him  to  her  side.  "  He  iss 
pappa's  own  chile  —  he 's  got  pappa's  prains,"  she 
continued  proudly,  turning  to  the  visitor,  and  wip- 
ing her  wet  eyes  as  she  spoke.  "  Ve  haff  fife,  all 
goot  chil'ren ;  pappa  haff  train  dem  veil.  But 
Villie  iss  de  mos'  like  pappa  mit  de  pooks  —  eh, 
Visa?" 

"  Yes,  he 's  awful  smart  in  learnin',' '  corrobo- 
rated Louise,  with  a  glance  of  pride  at  her  small 
brother,  who  received  these  compliments  calmly. 

"You  should  keep  him  out  of  doors  as  much 
as  possible,"  Judith  advised.  "  He  does  n't  look 
strong." 

"Ah,"  —  the  mother's  tone  grew  anxious, — 
"  none  off  de  kinder  iss  strong.  Hans,  de  big  son, 
goes  to  lif  in  Colorado — mit  his  lungs;  he  iss  a  goot 
son,  unser  Hans,  he  sen'  money  to  me  und  pappa 
efrey  inont',  mitout  fail.  Visa  iss  not  shtrong  in 
de  t'roat  —  she  have  to  be  careful.  It  vass  pappa 
alvays  sayin', '  Vear  de  rubbers,  Visa ;  vear  de  rub- 
bers, und  not  get  de  col'.'  You  haff  to  t'ink  off 
dat  now  for  yourself,  mein  kind!  Fritz  come  nex' 
to  Visa.  He  iss  in  a  grocery  store,  und  a  steady 
goot  boy.  But  he  begin  to  cough  —  like  Hans ! 
Pappa  vass  writin'  to  Hans  'bout  Fritz  —  ah !  who 
vill  settle  all  dose  t'ings  for  us  now ! "  Mrs. 
Laidler's  lips  quivered  ;  and  it  was  a  few  minutes 
before  the  quiet  voice  could  resume  its  remarks>. 

"  Nex'  to  Fritz  come  Tilly,"  she  put  her  hand 


280  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

back  and  touched  the  knee  of  her  little  daughter. 

O 

"  Den  come  mein  Villie." 

"  He  did  ought  to  be  out  er  doors  —  the  doc- 
tor tell  us  that  all  the  time,"  Louise  said,  with  a 
grave  glance  at  the  crippled  child.  "  But  there 
ain't  no  park  for  blocks  an'  blocks  'round  here ;  an' 
we  can't  sen'  Willie  out  on  the  sidewalk  to  play. 
He  'd  get  hurt.  There  's  horse-cars  goin'  through 
the  street  all  the  time,  an'  the  boys  is  that  crowded 
together  they  might  knock  Willie  down  right  in 
front  of  the  horses  —  without  meaning  to.  They 
have  knocked  'im  down  as  it  is,  on  the  sidewalk  — 
an'  hurt  him.  He 's  'fraid  er  them ;  he  'd  ruther 
stay  in  the  house  an'  read." 

"  I  ain't  afraid  of  them,  but  they  're  bigger  'n 
me,"  broke  in  Willie,  anxious  to  sustain  a  reputa- 
tion for  valor. 

"  Many 's  the  time  —  'fore  papa  got  so  he  could  n' 
go  up  an'  down  the  steps — that  he  'd  'a'  gone  out  to 
a  park  an'  set  there  with  Willie,"  went  on  Louise, 
with  an  amused  glance  at  the  small  boy,  "but 
there  ain't  no  parks  anywheres  'round  here  I  "  Sho 
sighed. 

"  Do  you  know  where  Dedlock  Street  is  ? " 
asked  Judy,  a  happy  light  springing  into  her  eyes. 

"  Dat  iss  not  far."  "  That 's  near  here,"  re- 
plied the  mother  and  daughter. 

"  Well,  there  '11  soon  be  a  beautiful,  big  ]  •lay- 
ground  there,  for  the  children,"  cried  Judith 
brightly.  "  Houses  are  now  being  pulled  down  to 
make  a  large  space,  —  some  rich  kind  people  have 
given  the  money  for  it,  —  a  space  where  boys  can 


THE   SWEETENER  OF  LIFE  281 

fly  kites,  and  play  marbles,  and  spin  tops,"  she 
added,  addressing  Wilhelm,  who  stared  solemnly 
back  at  her.  "  There  '11  be  heaps  of  sand  to  dig 
in,  and  build  caves  in.  And,  by  and  by,  in  time, 
there  '11  be  trees,  and  flowers,  and  a  fountain  on 
the  playground  —  all  for  the  boys  and  girls,  their 
very  own !  "  Judy's  cheeks  had  grown  pink  as 
she  talked  of  the  fruition  of  her  cherished  project, 
her  face  radiant.  Louise  looked  at  her  friend 
with  rapt  girlish  admiration. 

"  When  that  is  finished,  there  '11  be  no  necessity 
for  Willie  to  run  the  risk  of  being  hurt  on  the  side- 
walk, as  he  can  go  to  the  playground  and  enjoy 
himself  in  perfect  safety,  and  Tilly,  too,"  Judy 
said,  patting  the  hand  of  the  little  girl,  whose  eyes 
were  red,  and  whose  breath  still  came  with  a  slight 
catch  in  it. 

"  Well,  ain't  that  lovely !  "  cried  Louise.  "  What 
a  relief  that  '11  be  'bout  Willie,  mama." 

"  Yes,  the  playground  will  be  a  great  comfort 
and  enjoyment ;  more  than  that,  a  splendid  and 
enduring  blessing,"  remarked  Judith  gratefully. 
"  Now,"  she  added,  turning  to  the  mother,  "  tell 
me  what  you  think  of  doing ;  shall  you  stay  on 
here?" 

Walking  slowly  homeward  in  the  bright  summer 
afternoon,  Judy's  thoughts  were  filled  with  the 
widow's  pathetic  story.  For  seventeen  years  the 
man  had  been  ill,  most  of  the  time  in  great  pain, 
and  rarely  able,  though  always  willing,  to  do  any 
work  that  could  add  much  to  the  support  of  his 


282  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

family.  Times  had  been  very  hard  in  the  home  ; 
for  years  the  little  wife  had  been  the  bread-winner, 
until  the  boys  and  girl  were  old  enough  to  earn 
something.  It  had  been  a  long  siege  —  seventeen 
years  with  a  fretful,  ailing  man,  growing  steadily 
worse  every  day.  Yet  there  had  been  peace  and 
happiness  in  the  household,  and  at  the  end  no 
sense  of  relief,  but  only  of  heavy,  aching  loss,  only 
a  great  yearning  for  the  continued  presence  of  one 
who  had,  with  some  show  of  justice,  considered 
himself  a  burden  upon  wife  and  children.  Why 
was  this  ? 

"  Ah,  she  was  right,  that  little  woman,"  mused 
Judith,  lifting  her  eyes  to  the  clear  blue  sky  above 
the  tree-tops.  "  'T  is  love  that  is  the  sweetener  of 
life,  not  money !  She  has  a  right  to  be  thankful ; 
with  poverty,  sickness,  hard  work,  God  has  yet 
given  her  the  best  sort  of  love,  the  love  that  lasts 
through  the  dark  seasons  as  well  as  the  bright, 
and  grows  stronger,  closer,  through  all!  Not 
everybody  has  that  sort  of  love.  Mother  and 
father  had  it;  I  think  Francie  and  Jack  have  a  love 
like  that.  Marnie  —  ah,  poor  Mamie !  I  wonder 
if  I"- 

"  Judy ! "  said  a  gentle  voice,  a  hand  closed 
around  her  arm,  and  with  a  start  Judy  awoke  from 
her  reverie  to  find  her  mother  at  her  elbow. 

"  Why,  mother  !  "  exclaimed  the  girl.  "  Why 
—  it 's  nearly  tea  time  —  where  're  you  going  ?  " 

A  faint  smile  relieved  the  anxiety  in  Mrs.  Jef- 
frey's face.  "  Yes  ;  but  your  uncle  Gabriel  has  n't 
reached  home  yet,  or  I  would  have  had  him  go 


THE   SWEETENER  OF  LIFE  283 

with  me,"  she  remarked  irrelevantly.  "  Basil  is  n't 
well  —  in  fact,  he  has  met  with  an  accident  —  been 
thrown  from  his  bicycle,  and  taken  to  a  hospital. 
The  surgeon  has  telegraphed  me  of  the  accident  — 
at  Basil's  request,  I  suppose.  And  I  am  going 
right  up  to  see  the  poor  fellow.  I  don't  even  know 
his  mother's  address  —  do  you?" 

"  No,"  answered  Judy  very  quietly  and  steadily ; 
she  had  grown  a  little  pale.  "  Mother,  may  n't  I 
go  with  you?  "  she  asked.  "  He 's  our  cousin,  you 
know." 

The  quick  mother-eyes  had  seen  the  sudden 
pallor  ;  perhaps  it  did  not  surprise  her. 

"  But  at  home  —  they  will  be  expecting  you," 
she  said  hesitatingly. 

"  I  '11  run  home  and  tell  the  girls  that  I  'm  going 
with  you,"  Judy  proposed  composedly.  "Sit  on 
this  bench,  mother  dear,  and  wait  for  me ;  I  won't 
be  long."  And  away  she  sped. 


CHAPTER  XV 
REVELATIONS 

"  I  *M  happy  to  say  that  Mr.  Fabrey  is  in  no 
danger  whatever,  though  in  pain,  and  a  good  deal 
shaken  up  by  his  fall.  It  may  be  some  time,  how- 
ever, before  he  can  be  about  again ;  but  you  may 
be  sure  that  we  shall  do  everything  that  is  possible 
to  make  him  comfortable  here."  So  the  house  phy- 
sician of  the  hospital  (to  whom  the  superintend' 
ent  had  handed  them  over)  suavely  informed  Mrs. 
Jeffrey  and  Judith.  "  Certainly  you  may  see  him, 
and  whenever  you  like,"  he  added.  "  Allow  me  to 
show  you  to  the  elevator  —  this  way,  please." 

"  Two  such  polite  men ! "  remarked  Mrs.  Jeffrey, 
as  she  and  Judy  were  being  swiftly  lifted  to  an 
upper  story.  "  I  had  an  idea  that  the  officials  in 
a  hospital  were  always  too  busy  to  devote  so  much 
time  and  politeness  to  a  man  as  poor  as  Basil. 
Poor  boy !  Too  bad  this  accident  should  've  oc- 
curred now,  just  as  he  has  a  position,  after  months 
of  looking  for  one  and  failing !  About  two  weeks 
ago  since  he  got  it,  is  n't  it  ?  " 

44  Since  he  told  us,  but  he  said  he  'd  had  the  po- 
sition for  some  time  before  that,"  amended  Judy. 
Tht-n  a  nurse  came  forward  and  led  them  to  a 
large,  comfortable  room  where  lay  Basil. 


REVELATIONS  285 

With  a  strip  of  adhesive  plaster  across  one  cheek, 
a  bandage  round  his  head,  and  his  left  arm  in 
splints,  the  young  man  was  a  sorry  enough  looking 
object.  He  was  lying  with  his  face  toward  the 
wall,  and  turned  slowly  at  the  sound  of  Mrs.  Jef- 
frey's voice.  "  It 's  so  kind  of  you  to  come,  cousin 
Etta,"  he  commenced  languidly ;  then  he  caught 
sight  of  Judith  behind  her  mother,  and  his  whole 
face  changed,  light  sprang  into  his  heavy  eyes 
and  a  tinge  of  color  into  his  cheeks,  out  of  which 
a  good  deal  of  the  bronze  was  gone. 

"  Judy !  "  he  cried.  His  sunny  smile  flashed  ' 
out,  and  the  fingers  of  his  well  hand  closed  firmly 
upon  the  hand  Judith  held  out.  "  I  've  been  long- 
ing to  see  you,  but  I  hardly  dared  hope  you  'd 
come,"  he  whispered  eagerly,  and  watched  with 
keen  delight  the  rush  of  soft  red  that  flooded  the 
girl's  face  and  ears. 

Afraid  to  trust  her  voice  just  then,  Judy  patted 
the  back  of  Basil's  hand  ;  then,  to  his  disappoint- 
ment, quietly  disengaged  her  ringers  from  his  clasp, 
and  took  a  seat  several  feet  away  from  him. 

"  How  did  it  happen  ?  And  what  a  mercy  you 
were  n't  killed  !  "  observed  Mrs  Jeffrey,  who  had  a 
warm  liking  for  "  Maria's  boy,"  as  she  was  apt  to 
call  young  Fabrey. 

"  Blamed  if  I  know !  "  remarked  Basil,  inele- 
gantly, but  with  energy.  "  I  was  riding  along  as 
smoothly  as  anybody  could  wish  to  go ;  and  think- 
ing pleasant  thoughts,  too,"  with  a  meaning  glance 
at  Judy,  "  when  —  phew!  "  —he  made  a  rapid  up- 
ward movement  of  his  hand  —  "first  thing  I  knew 


•js<;  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

I  was  flying  through  the  air,  and  landing  on  a  pile 
of  stones  !  Tell  you !  rapid  transit  is  n't  in  it  with 
the  speed  at  which  I  went.  I  remember  striking 
the  stones  —  they  weren't  soft,  either !  —  then  no- 
thing more  until  I  opened  my  eyes  here,  and  the 
doctors  were  putting  the  pieces  of  me  together 
again.  One  ankle  is  sprained,  too  —  nothing  like 
doing  a  thing  thoroughly,  you  know !  Now  here  I 
am  —  a  prisoner  for  weeks  !  " 

"  And  just  as  you  've  got  that  position,"  said 
Mrs.  Jeffrey  regretfully.  "  I  do  hope  the  firm 
will  keep  it  open  for  you.  I  wish  I  had  a  spare 
room  in  our  flat,  Basil ;  I  'd  have  you  taken  there 
as  soon  as  you  could  be  moved.  I  'm  afraid  this 
will  cost  you  a  good  deal,  my  dear,"  the  kind  little 
woman  went  on,  with  a  glance  around  the  airy  com- 
fortable room  in  which  the  young  man  was  lodged. 
**  Could  n't  we  make  some  other  arrangement  for 
you?  I  know  there  are  much  less  expensive 
accommodations  in  a  hospital  than  this  room,  and 
if  you  're  to  be  here  weeks  "  — 

Basil's  face  had  got  red ;  the  scowl  which  came 
so  readily  was  in  full  possession  of  as  much  of  his 
forehead  as  could  be  seen  below  the  bandage. 
"  That 's  all  right,  cousin  Etta,"  he  broke  in  hastily 
and  decidedly.  "  Soon 's  I  came  to  consciousness 
I  sent  for  a  friend  —  an  intimate  friend  —  who 
lives  here  in  the  city"  Basil  might  as  well 
have  mentioned  that  the  friend  was  Jim  Ivors,  but 
he  did  n't —  "  and  he 's  running  this  affair  for  me. 
Hi-  knows  the  state  of  my  finances,  and  I'm  not 
afraid  that  he  '11  go  beyond  them.  If  this  mounts 


REVELATIONS  287 

up  too  high,  perhaps  I  '11  be  moved  into  another, 
less  expensive  room.  He  '11  see  to  everything.  But 
I  just  wish  you  did  have  an  extra  room  at  the 
house,"  he  went  on,  "  and  would  take  me  in.  I  'd 
be  only  too  glad  to  put  myself  under  your  wing  ; 
would  n't  I  be  in  clover,  though  !  "  The  grateful, 
really  affectionate  glance  he  gave  Mrs.  Jeffrey 
effectually  soothed  any  annoyance  that  lady  might 
have  felt  at  her  advice  not  having  been  taken. 
But  there  came  a  slightly  puzzled  expression  into 
Judy's  eyes. 

"  An  intimate  friend,"  she  repeated.  "  I  thought 
you  had  no  intimate  friends  in  New  York  but  our- 
selves. You  've  never  told  us  of  this  one.  And 
is  he  going  to  write  to  your  mother  about  your 
accident  ?  " 

"  He  promised  to,"  replied  the  young  man  read- 
ily. "  Have  n't  I  told  you  of  my  friend  ?  "  he 
added,  in  an  undertone,  as  Mrs.  Jeffrey  rose  and 
went  to  the  other  end  of  the  room  to  speak  to  the 
nurse.  "  Some  day,  pretty  soon,  I  '11  tell  you  all 
about  my  friends  —  and  everything  there  is  to  tell 
about  myself."  He  smiled  at  Judy  ;  but  perhaps 
there  was  a  little  condescension  in  his  tone,  for  that 
young  person's  head  took  a  poise  that  Basil  knew 
of  old,  and  did  not  relish. 

"  Oh,  excuse  me ;  I  've  no  desire  to  pry  into 
your  affairs,"  she  remarked,  in  a  tone  of  proud 
apology.  "  I  spoke  on  the  impulse  of  the  moment." 

"  Now,  Judy,  drop  that  sort  of  talk !  "  cried 
Basil  warmly,  raising  himself  on  his  uninjured 
elbow,  his  light  eyes  meeting,  half  angrily,  half 


288  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

imploringly,  the  steady  gaze  of  Judy's  soft  brown 
ones.  "  You  know  very  well  that  I  'm  only  too 
glad  to  have  you  interested  in  my  affairs.  I  've 
made  no  secret  of  it  that  I  care  more  for  you  than 
for  any  other  woman  in  the  whole  world.  You 
know  my  heart  belongs  to  you,  but  you  always 
evade  me.  You  keep  me  off ;  you  won't  give  me 
even  one  word  of  —  of  assurance  —  to  encourage 
me !  I  know  why  it  is "  -  Basil  was  in  great 
earnest,  his  voice  shook,  a  bright  spot  of  red  came 
into  each  pale  bronzed  cheek  —  "I  know  why  't  is ; 
you  look  upon  me  as  a  poor  unfortunate  fellow 
that  '11  never  be  able  to  make  a  way  in  the  world. 
You  're  afraid  to  trust  your  life  in  my  keeping, 
because  I  have  n't  money,  like  Austin,  and  a 
little-tin-god-on-wheels  reputation  like  that  Rose 
fellow !  "  (Basil  could  not  get  rid  of  a  lurking 
jealousy  of  the  Jeffreys'  strong  liking  for  Jack.) 
"  A  poor  devil  without  money  or  brains  need  never 
expect  to  win  a  girl's  love !  "  He  broke  off  ab- 
ruptly, and  sinking  back  on  his  pillows,  turned  his 
face  away.  Judy  could  see  the  hopeless  droop  of 
his  lips. 

Moving  noiselessly  to  her  mother's  empty  chair 
beside  the  bed,  Judith  slipped  her  cool  fingers  into 
the  brown  hand  that  lay  thrown  out  upon  the 
coverlet.  "  Basil !  "  she  said  softly. 

The  next  instant  the  fingers  were  in  a  tight  grip, 
and  Basil  was  on  his  elbow  facing  her,  his  blue 
eyes  piercing  in  their  eager  intensity.  "You 
ivnli/t;  \\liat  this  means  to  you  and  to  me?"  he 
•  •ii«l  l.iv;ttli],-»l\.  almost  sternly.  "  No  need  to 


REVELATIONS  289 

tell  you  of  my  love,  Judy,  you  've  known  that  for 
a  long  time  —  I  've  made  no  secret  of  it.  The 
question  is,  do  you  love  me  well  enough  to  share 
poverty  with  me,  perhaps  for  all  your  life?  I 
could  n't  make  a  fortune,  to  save  my  neck,  though 
I  might  be  able  to  earn  a  very  moderate  salary. 
You  know  that  would  mean  living  in  the  plainest 
way,  —  no  fine  frocks  and  diamonds  and  f  olderols, 
—  but  just  jogging  along  from  day  to  day  — hum- 
drum —  you  and  I  —  face  to  face  with  economy, 
perhaps  poverty,  all  our  days — through  dark  times 
and  bright  times  —  through  sickness  and  health. 
Sounds  like  the  marriage  service,  does  n't  that? 
But  there 's  truth  in  it ;  't  is  n't  all  plain  sailing  in 
married  life  any  more  than  it  is  in  other  ways  of 
living.  Could  you  give  me  a  love  that  would  be 
equal  to  all  that,  Judy?  "  His  eyes  searched  the 
flushed,  drooping  face. 

There  was  a  little  silence,  then  Judy  lifted  her 
honest  eyes  to  him.  "  After  all,  it 's  love  that 
makes  life  sweet  and  worth  living,  not  money," 
she  said  dreamily,  with  a  tenderness  in  her  voice 
that  Basil  had  never  heard  there  before  for  him- 
self. "  I  'm  not  afraid  of  poverty  with  you,"  she 
added  ;  and  the  passionate  love-light  that  sprang 
into  Basil's  eyes  set  her  heart  thrilling. 

"  Tell  it  to  me  in  plain  English ;  say  right  out, 
'  Basil,  I  love  you  ! ' ' '  he  insisted.  "  I  'm  such 
an  ugly,  unmannerly,  ignorant  kind  of  brute,  and 
you're  so  dainty,  so  graceful,  so  clever,  I  can't 
believe  my  own  good  luck.  Tell  it  to  me,  Judy. 
Say  it."  * 


290  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

Judy  gave  a  low  rippling  happy  laugh.  "  "What 
unusual  humility !  "  she  teased.  Then,  "  Well, 
you  insatiable  person,  since  you  will  have  it  "  — 
She  loosened  her  lover's  clasp,  and  took  his  liaiul 
between  her  own  two.  "  Basil,"  she  said,  looking 
up  at  him  with  shining  eloquent  eyes,  in  which  was 
also  more  than  a  gleam  of  mischief,  —  "  Basil,"  she 
repeated,  and  then  softly,  archly,  uttering  each 
letter  with  slow,  tender  distinctness,  and  little 
pauses  between  the  words,  she  spelled,  "I  —  1-o-v-e 
—  y-o-u!"- 

"  You  darling ! "  cried  Basil,  in  a  rapturous 
whisper,  throwing  out  his  hand  for  Judy's  shoulder, 
and  holding  up  an  eager  pair  of  lips.  But  his 
grasp  found  only  the  empty  air,  his  lips  received 
no  kiss,  for  the  maiden  had  slipped  from  under  his 
hand. 

In  the  chair  which  she  had  first  occupied,  sev- 
eral feet  away,  there  sat  Judy  again,  a  trifle  out  of 
breath  from  her  rapid  return,  flushed  as  pink  as  a 
rose,  and  most  demure. 

For  a  moment  Basil  looked  undecided  whether 
to  laugh  or  to  get  angry  ;  then,  "  Ah,  Judy,  come 
back,"  he  begged.  "  Just  once !  Ah,  come." 

"  Thank  you,  but  I  get  a  much  better  view  of 
you  from  here,"  was  the  saucy  reply. 

"  Yes  —  you  think  that 's  kind  ?  —  sit  there  and 
make  fun  of  a  poor  battered  wreck  of  a  creature  ?  " 
he  asked  in  an  injured  tone,  which,  however,  soon 
became  imploring.  "Say,  Judy,  come — won't 
you  ?  You  exasperating  girl !  "  he  suddenly  broke 
out,  as  Judy  sat  smiling  at  him.  "Just  you  wait 
till  I  'm  up  again  !  " 


REVELATIONS  291 

"  That 's  exactly  what  I  intend  to  do.  I  always 
knew  you  were  a  reasonable  person,"  laughed 
Judy. 

Just  then  Mrs.  Jeffrey  walked  a  step  or  two  in 
the  direction  of  the  invalid,  as  if  returning  to  her 
chair,  then  retraced  her  steps  to  ask  the  nurse 
another  question  which  had  occurred  to  her;  and 
Basil  immediately  made  one  more  effort. 

"  D'  you  remember  that  last  spring  you  asked 
me  to  teach  wood-carving  to  some  boys  in  a  night 
school  on  the  East  Side?  Well,  I  did  it."  His  tone 
signified  the  high  estimate  in  which  he  held  his 
services.  "I  didn't  tell  you  anything  about  it, 
but  I  went  over  twice  a  week  regularly  until  the 
school  closed.  I  did  a  good  deal  for  some  of  those 
boys" —  Basil  caught  himself.  "Now,  don't  I 
deserve  something  for  doing  all  that  ?  Come  over 
here!" 

"  I  knew  it  long  ago,"  Judy  said  composedly. 
"  The  principal  of  the  school  told  me." 

"  And  you  never  said  a  word  to  me  —  not  one 
word  !  "  cried  the  wood-carver  in  wrathful  amaze- 
ment. 

"  Virtue  should  be  its  own  reward.  People 
should  do  good  deeds  because  they  are  there  to  be 
done  —  and  not  for  praise,"  declared  Judy  loftily, 
hunching  her  shoulders  and  pulling  down  the  cor- 
ners of  her  laughing  mouth,  while  she  threw  mis- 
chievous glances  at  the  new  cousin. 

Young  Fabrey  scowled,  then  the  laugh  which 
he  could  no  longer  control  had  its  way.  "  Oh, 
you  humbug  !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  When  I  get  on 


292  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

my  feet  again,  I  '11  pay  you  off  for  this !  Cousin 
Etta,"  he  complained,  as  that  lady  approached, 
"  what  do  you  think  ?  Judy 's  promised  to  marry 
me  —  says  she  loves  me  —  and  yet  won't  even  kiss 
me.  Isn't  that  the  meanest  treatment  you  ever 
heard  of?" 

"  I  '11  do  it  now,"  Judith  said  promptly  and 
very  meekly,  and,  coming  to  her  mother's  side,  she 
stooped  and  dropped  a  kiss  lightly  upon  her  lover's 
cheek. 

Sorely  against  his  will,  Basil  had  to  be  content. 
"You  don't  object  to  her  marrying  a  poor  fel- 
low?" he  asked,  looking  anxiously  up  into  Mrs. 
Jeffrey's  face.  "You  would  n't  refuse  your  con- 
sent because  I  could  only  give  her  a  plain,  simple 
home?" 

"  My  dear  boy !  the  true  happiness  of  my  chil- 
dren is  what  I  ask  for,  and  riches  do  not  always 
bring  that,"  Mrs.  Jeffrey  answered,  smiling  kindly 
at  the  young  man.  "  I  know  all  about  you,  Basil  " 
(she  thought  she  did !  Basil  had  the  grace  to  feel 
ashamed  of  himself),  "  and  we  're  all  fond  of  you. 
But  what  '11  I  do  without  my  girls  ?  —  first  Fraucie 

—  now  Judy !  " 

"  Oh,  mother,  you  '11  have  me  a  good  while  yet," 
cried  Judith.  "  We  '11  have  to  wait  several  years 

—  as  Jack  and   Frances  will  —  won't  we,  Basil? 
and  save  up,  as  poor  Jim  was  doing  for  Mamie 

—  eh?  We'll  have  to  wait,  but  we  don't  mind, 
do  we,  Basil  ? "  Judy  was  kneeling  beside  the 
\shite  iron  bedstead  now;  she  laid  her  warm,  pink 
against  Basil's  hand,  and  the  run-  tenderness 


REVELATIONS  293 

in  her  uplifted  eyes  filled  the  young  man's  heart 
with  strong  emotion. 

"This  is  the  happiest  day  in  all  my  life,"  he 
declared,  a  sudden  moisture  suffusing  his  light 
eyes.  "  I  'in  not  half  good  enough  for  you,  Judy ; 
I  never  will  be,  I  'in  afraid  !  But  I  '11  try  to  be  a 
halfway  decent  sort  of  fellow;  it's  all  I'd  ever 
get  to,  and  you  must  help  me,  sweetheart." 

"Ay;  we'll  help  each  other,"  Judy  answered 
softly. 

"Now  we  must  go,"  said  Mrs.  Jeffrey.  "I 
fear  we  've  stayed  longer  than  we  should."  And 
as,  spite  of  the  patient's  objections,  the  nurse 
agreed  with  Mrs.  Jeffrey's  decision,  the  mother 
and  daughter  bade  Basil  good-by. 

"  Come  soon  again ;  come  to-morrow — every  day, 
and  stay  a  long  time,"  he  begged. 

"  I  '11  come  as  often  as  I  can,"  promised  Judith  ; 
and  the  impatient  young  man  had  to  content  him- 
self with  that  as  best  he  might. 

"  Well,  it  does  seem  as  if  the  greatest  things 
were  happening  to  us!"  declared  Rufie.  When  the 
news  was  told  she  had  embraced  Judy  and  wept 
upon  her  neck,  and  she  now  sat  beside  her  twin 
on  the  shabby  lounge  in  the  dining-room,  holding 
her  hand  and  gazing  at  Judy  with  big  wistful  eyes. 
"  Now  there  '11  have  to  be  two  weddings  in  the 
family.  Oh,"  with  energy,  as  an  idea  occurred  to 
her,  "  would  n't  it  be  jolly  to  have  them  both  on 
the  same  day  —  and  married  by  uncle  Gabe !  Girls, 
would  n't  it  be  fine  ?  Would  n't  it,  mother  ?  " 


294  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

"  Dear,  dear,  what  an  honor  lies  ahead  of  me !  " 
remarked  Mr.  Kincaid,  and  taking  off  his  glasses, 
he  proceeded  to  polish  them  with  a  piece  of  chamois 
which  he  drew  from  his  pocket. 

Judith  and  Francie  looked  inquiringly  at  one 
another,  smiled,  blushed,  and  nodded. 

"  Don't  talk  about  weddings ;  they  're  not  to  be 
thought  of  for  a  long  while,"  Mrs.  Jeffrey  said,  a 
little  sadly.  "  I  am  in  no  hurry  to  get  rid  of  my 
daughters." 

"  But,  mother,  when  people  become  engaged,  one 
must  take  into  consideration  their  getting  mar- 
ried," asserted  Ruth  practically.  "  Judy,  I  '11  help 
you  with  your  sewing,"  she  volunteered ;  "  and  I  '11 
keep  my  eyes  open  for  quaint  pretty  chairs  and 
tables  and  things  in  the  shops  —  bargains,  you 
know.  Miss  Austin  has  some  of  the  dearest  little 
chairs  at  Lenox  —  perhaps  we  could  find  some  like 
them.  Then,  if  they're  not  too  expensive,  Basil 
might  buy  them  at  odd  times  and  store  them  away 
somewhere,  against  housekeeping,  as  Jim  was  doing 
for  Marnie  —  Goodness  me !  what  've  I  said  ?  " 
she  cried,  laying  her  hand  involuntarily  over  her 
mouth  as  Judy  gave  her  an  emphatic  nudge,  and 
Margaret  rose  hastily  and  left  the  room. 

"You  might  have  shown  more  tact,  if  not 
consideration,"  Ursula  told  Rufie  as  she  went  past 
her,  after  Margaret. 

"  Tact  I  How  should  I  know  she  'd  mind  hear- 
ing that?"  demanded  the  bewildered  and  indig- 
nant Ruth.  "  She  insisted  that  she  did  n't  care 
for  Jim;  how  was  I  to  know  she  'd  feel  badly  over 


REVELATIONS  295 

the  furniture  being  mentioned  ?  I  think  Margaret 
is  very  queer  !  " 

The  mother  sighed.  "  Poor  Jim  !  "  exclaimed 
uncle  Gabriel,  stroking  his  chin,  and,  "  Perhaps 
she  cares  more  for  Jim  than  she  thinks,"  observed 
Judy  sagely.  "  Don't  continue  the  conversation 
when  she  comes  in,"  she  added  to  her  ruffled  twin 
as  footsteps  sounded  in  the  hall. 

Presently  Ursula  reentered  the  room  and  Mar- 
garet with  her ;  the  latter's  beautiful  face  wore  a 
very  subdued  expression,  and  she  chose  a  seat  far- 
thest from  the  light. 

"  Now  that  we  are  all  together,  I  '11  tell  of 
something  nice  that 's  come  to  me  this  evening," 
Ursa  said,  taking  a  seat  by  the  table,  on  which,  as 
usual,  sat  Miss  Weewee,  and,  apparently,  alertly 
attentive  to  the  conversation.  Count  Ito,  not 
being  allowed  the  privilege  of  sitting  on  the 
table,  had  to  content  himself  with  poking  his  little 
snub  nose  above  its  edge,  and  with  friendly  yaps 
inviting  any  one  who  would  to  a  game  of  romps. 
"Jack  brought  the  good  news."  Ursula  nodded 
brightly  to  Frances,  who  smiled  knowingly  back. 
"  Friends,  fellow  citizens,  and  dear  ones,  including 
Miss  Weewee  and  the  Count,"  she  said,  "  my 
novel  has  been  accepted  !  Grove  and  Erveng  will 
publish  it  in  the  fall.  Just  think !  in  a  couple  of 
months  more,  my  fondest  dream  '11  be  realized,  my 
book  will  be  in  print !  " 

"  Did  n't  I  say  great  things  were  happening  ?  " 
Rufie  asked,  looking  wise  ;  and,  "  Oh,  Ursa  dear, 
I  am  so  glad  for  you !  "  "  You  deserve  it !  "  de- 


296  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

clared  Margaret  and  the  rest  of  the  family,  while 
Frances  ran  and  threw  her  arms  around  Ursula. 
"  You  dear  faithful  old  darling  !  "  she  cried.  "  I 
told  you  this  would  come  —  did  n't  I  ?  Now  just 
wait  till  the  book  is  read  by  the  public !  There  's 
a  laurel  wreath  hovering  around  in  the  air,  simply 
waiting  to  fall  upon  your  head  —  I  see  it  coming  !  " 
Carried  away  by  the  moment,  Frances  brandished  a 
finger  over  Ursula's  head,  pointing  off  somewhere 
in  the  direction  of  the  hall,  whereupon  Rufie 
leaned  forward  and  peered  so  innocently  in  the 
same  direction  as  to  send  the  family  into  shouts  of 
laughter. 

Encouraged  by  the  brilliant  prophecies  of  her 
home  circle,  and  especially  by  the  positive  proof 
of  her  publishers'  letter,  Ursula's  hopes  rose  high, 
and  her  quiet  clever  face  lighted  up  wonderfully. 

"  Grove  and  Erveng  write  so  encouragingly !  " 
she  said.  "  This  is  all  Jack's  doings ;  dear  fellow ! 
he  took  it  to  his  own  publishers.  A  beginner 
as  I  am  —  I  would  n't  have  had  the  courage  to 
approach  such  a  firm.  And  they  have  accepted 
the  story !  I  can  hardly  believe  it.  And,  by  and 
by,  I  '11  write  other  stories,  better  ones,  perhaps, 
and,  who  knows  ?  one  of  these  days  I  may  be  able 
to  give  up  the  Leader,  and  devote  all  my  time  to 
writing  my  stories  !  Would  n't  that  be  fine  ?  By 
that  time  all  the  girls  will  be  married  and  gone 
from  the  nest,  mother ;  then  you  and  uncle  Gabe 
and  I  '11  go  off  in  the  country  somewhere  and  have 
a  nice  home  together,  eh?  "  At  which  there  \vas 
a  great  outcry  from  all  the  girls.  "  Indeed,  you 


REVELATIONS  297 

won't  go  off  by  yourselves,  far  from  us  !  "  "  Oh, 
you  bad  girl,  to  wish  to  leave  us  here  alone  in  the 
city  !  "  "  Why,  Ursula,  mother  does  n't  belong 
to  you  alone  !  "  and  "  I  shall  never  marry  !  "  they 
declared ;  the  last  two  remarks  coming  from  Rufie 
and  Margaret  —  one  in  tones  of  indignation,  the 
other  of  mournful  resignation. 

"  This  has  been  a  red-letter  day  for  me,"  Ursula 
told  Francie  the  same  evening  in  the  privacy  of 
their  own  room.  "  Besides  the  good  fortune  of 
my  book  being  accepted,  I  got  a  long  letter  from 
Paul  this  afternoon.  Such  a  cheerful,  clever  letter  ! 
—  one  of  these  days  I  '11  read  you  some  bits  from 
it.  He  has  got  the  organist's  position  in  Cleve- 
land that  he  went  out  for,  and  writes  that  he  's 
enjoying  his  work  immensely.  Is  n't  that  splendid 
to  know  ?  Besides,  here  's  Judy  engaged  to  Basil, 
whom  we  all  like  —  and  you  to  dear,  good,  lovable 
Jack !  Truly,  Fraucie,"  —  Ursa  turned  to  the 
"youngest,"  with  the  brush  held  aloft  in  one  hand, 
and  her  thick,  dark  hair  falling  in  a  cloud  over 
her  arm,  —  "  truly,  my  dear,  God  is  very,  very  good 
to  us ! " 

Though  Basil  was,  as  the  doctor  had  said,  in  no 
danger  whatever,  it  was  yet  a  good  many  weeks 
before  he  was  able  to  stand  upon  his  feet  or  use 
his  sprained  ankle.  He  was  not  removed  from 
the  comfortable  apartment  where  his  relatives  had 
first  found  him  ;  nor  did  the  Jeffreys,  to  their 
knowledge,  ever  come  across  the  "  intimate  friend  " 
who  had  placed  Basil  there,  though  they  did 


298  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

meet  Jim  Ivors  in  Basil's  room,  and  more  than 
once. 

Sometimes  Judy  made  her  visits  to  the  hospital 
in  company  with  uncle  Gabriel,  though  usually 
under  the  chaperonage  of  her  mother,  and  rather 
late  in  the  afternoons.  An  unexpected  change, 
however,  in  the  arrangement  of  her  "  visiting  "  left 
the  girl  free  one  morning,  and  she  and  Margaret 
coaxed  uncle  Gabriel  into  leaving  his  dictionary 
and  going  with  them  to  "  cheer  up  "  Basil. 

The  August  day  was  charming,  with  a  sky  as 
blue  and  cloudless  as  ever  June  could  show,  and  a 
gentle  breeze  that  rustled  the  leaves  and  made  the 
heat  endurable.  In  their  summer  gowns  of  white 
the  girls  looked  very  dainty  and  attractive,  and 
Mr.  Kincaid  had  a  sly  laugh  at  the  assiduous  atten- 
tions of  the  young  resident  physicians  in  the  hos- 
pital ;  the  little  gentleman  enjoyed  the  guardian- 
ship of  his  pretty  nieces. 

"  Well,  this  is  a  jolly  surprise,  to  see  you  so 
early  in  the  morning !  You  look  as  sweet  's  a 
peach !  "  declared  Basil  warmly.  He  had  been 
promoted  to  a  rattan  lounge  over  by  the  window  ; 
and  his  eyes  dwelt  with  pride  and  admiration  on 
the  delicate  high-bred  face,  soft  dark  eyes,  and 
graceful  figure  of  his  little  sweetheart. 

Judy  swept  him  a  saucy  courtesy.  "  I  'm  glad 
you  appreciate  my  new  gown,"  she  said  demurely. 
"  But  look  at  Marnie  —  is  n't  she  a  perfect  pic- 
ture in  that  big  black  hat?" 

"  She  is  n't  a  patch  upon  you,"  insisted  Basil 
sturdily.  "  She  does  n't  begin  to  know  how  to 
wear  her  clothes  as  you  do  ! " 


REVELATIONS  299 

"  Your  partiality  blinds  your  eyes,  sir !  "  laughed 
Judy,  but  with  a  pretty  pink  coming  into  her 
cheeks.  "  Marnie  is  an  out-and-out  beauty." 

So  she  was,  and  looking  at  her  best  this  morn- 
ing in  her  fresh  white  gown,  and  the  big  drooping 
hat,  which  she  had  trimmed  herself,  under  which 
her  hazel  eyes  sparkled  brilliantly,  and  the  color 
in  her  olive  cheeks  glowed  like  the  heart  of  a  rich 
red  rose. 

Margaret  was  a  good  deal  of  a  mimic  ;  and  now 
for  the  entertainment  of  her  relatives,  she  stood 
before  them  and  showed  the  little  party  how  the 
young  doctors  had  manoeuvred  that  morning  to 
escort  Judy  and  herself  to  the  elevator,  and,  one 
of  them,  even  to  the  patient's  door. 

"  He  is  a  little  narrow-shouldered  whitey-brown 
creature,  about  so  high,"  Marnie  said,  holding  her 
hand  barely  four  feet  from  the  floor,  and  then 
drawing  herself  up  to  the  full  height  of  her  five 
feet  seven  of  splendid  womanhood.  "  Imagine 
him  taking  me  in  tow ! "  She  laughed.  "  I 
could  n't  help  thinking  of  the  verse  in  your  favor- 
ite college  song,  Basil  —  '  Says  the  flea  to  the  ele- 
phant, who  're  you  shoving '  "  — 

The  three  who  were  looking  on  and  laughing  at 
her  antics  saw  Margaret's  face  suddenly  change, 
the  gay  song  died  on  her  lips,  the  peach  bloom 
faded  out  of  her  cheeks,  and  into  her  eyes  came  a 
wistful,  deprecating  expression. 

Following  the  direction  of  her  eyes,  they  saw 
Jim  Ivors  just  turning  to  leave  the  room,  where  he 
had  been,  unobserved,  for  a  few  minutes. 


300  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

Jim  was  not  allowed  to  leave,  for  uncle  Gabriel 
and  Judy  called  eagerly,  "  Jim  !  "  "  Jim  !  "  and 
going  quickly  to  where  lie  stood,  caught  him  by 
the  hands ;  while  Basil  settled  back  upon  his 
pillows  with  a  grim  smile  on  his  lips,  and  his  watch- 
ful eyes  fixed  upon  Margaret. 

As  Mr.  Kincaid  and  Judy  pulled  Jim  toward 
the  lounge  —  he  came  reluctantly  —  Margaret  rose 
and  shyly,  with  a  timid  smile  and  swift  pleading 
glance,  held  out  her  hand  to  him. 

But  coolly  ignoring  the  friendly  hand,  Jim  made 
a  stiff  bow,  then  hastily  took  a  seat  near  Basil's 
lounge,  turning  his  eyes  rigidly  away  from  Mar- 
garet. 

And  with  a  surprised,  subdued  expression  on 
her  face,  a  grieved  droop  of  the  lips,  Mamie  sat 
and  looked  at  Jim.  She  recognized  the  gray  suit 
he  wore ;  he  had  got  it  new  last  summer,  to  please 
her  —  how  delighted  he  had  been  when  she  said  it 
was  becoming  to  him  !  The  suit  was  still  becom- 
ing, but  how  shabby  now ;  and  how  it  hung  upon 
his  figure,  for  Jim  had  grown  thin ;  and  into  the 
face  that  of  old  was  so  genial  and  kind  had  come 
a  hard,  reckless  expression.  For  some  reason  that 
expression  and  the  shabbiness  of  the  gray  clothes 
weighed  upon  Margaret's  spirits,  and  the  sight 
of  Jim's  limp,  crooked  necktie  and  frayed  cuffs 
brought  a  most  unaccountable  lump  into  her 
throat. 

•I  tidy  made  several  attempts  to  include  Margaret 
in  the  conversation,  in  which  Jim  was  doing  his 
full  share,  talking  a  good  deal,  and  fast.  But 


REVELATIONS  301 

after  one  or  two  half-hearted  efforts  to  respond, 
Marnie  desisted,  and  leaving  her  chair  went  into 
the  short  quiet  hall  outside  Basil's  door,  and  stood 
at  the  window,  looking  down  upon  the  tops  of  the 
houses  with  f  a  very  abstracted  air.  For  all  her 
abstraction,  though,  she  recognized  Jim's  steps  as 
he  came  out  of  the  room,  and  was  vaguely  glad 
there  were  no  nurses  in  the  hall  as  she  went  for- 
ward and  addressed  her  old  friend. 

"Jim,"  she  said  gently  and  very  earnestly, 
"  won't  you  speak  to  me  ?  " 

Jim  turned,  but  without  looking  at  her.  "  What 
is  there  to  say  ?  "  he  asked  coldly. 

"  Say  you  forgive  me  —  ah,  Jim,  you  would  if 
you  knew  all!  Say  you'll  be  friends  with  me 
again,"  she  urged. 

Then,  for  one  moment,  Jim  let  his  eyes  rest  upon 
Margaret  —  upon  the  beautiful,  vivid  face,  not  one 
line  or  curve  of  which  or  item  of  daintiness  had 
he  forgotten  in  all  the  weary  months  since  he  had 
last  seen  it.  "  Friends !  "  he  cried,  his  voice  rough 
with  the  bitterness  of  his  heart.  "  For  friendship 
there  must  be  confidence  —  trust ;  I  have  neither 
in  you !  We  can  never  be  friends  —  you  under- 
stand ?  —  never  I  " 

Turning  on  his  heel,  he  strode  away,  out  of  the 
hall.  And  covering  her  face  with  her  hands, 
Marnie  shrank  back  against  the  window,  and  wept 
scorching  tears. 

Though  carefully  planning  to  avoid  one  another, 
Margaret  and  Jim  yet  met  again  and  again  in 


302  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

Basil's  room.  Jim's  manner  of  pleasant  intimacy 
with  every  one  else  who  might  be  present,  and  of 
cold  marked  indifference  toward  Margaret  never 
varied  ;  and  after  that  first  attempt,  Marnie  made 
no  farther  effort  to  regain  his  friendship.  Some- 
times she  would  meekly  return  Jim's  frigid  bow, 
and  sit  in  silence  throughout  the  visit,  with  a  wist- 
ful light  in  her  eyes  and  a  pathetic  little  droop  at 
the  corners  of  her  mouth,  listening  to  Jim's  con- 
tinuous and,  apparently,  light-hearted  talk.  At 
other  times,  however,  Margaret  would  laugh  and 
chatter,  in  the  gayest  of  spirits,  completely  ignor- 
ing Jim's  presence.  On  these  occasions,  he  woukl 
assume  silence,  and,  though  rarely  cutting  short  his 
visit,  would  stare  at  the  wall  or  out  of  the  window 
with  a  most  bored  expression  on  his  ruddy  hand- 
some face.  Still,  although  there  appeared  to  be 
not  the  slightest  enjoyment  in  these  meetings, 
Margaret  was  always  willing,  even  anxious,  to  join 
Judy  and  her  mother  or  uncle  Gabriel  in  their  calls 
at  the  hospital. 

During  these  days  Margaret's  cheeks  lost  their 
roundness,  the  rich  bloom  in  them  dwindled  to 
a  faint  pink  that  came  and  went  in  a  very  un- 
certain fashion.  The  girl's  eyes  looked  larger  and 
more  brilliant  from  the  dark  shadows  that  settled 
under  them,  and  her  spirits  became  so  variable, 
often  so  depressed,  that  Mrs.  Jeffrey  grew  anxious, 
and  she  and  Ursula  held  a  council. 

"  Perhaps  I  could  get  some  of  my  royalty  in  ad- 
vance, —  that 's  done  sometimes,  I  know,  —  and 
then  we  could  send  Mamie  away  in  the  country 


REVELATIONS  303 

for  a  few  weeks,"  suggested  Ursula.  "  If  we  can 
get  her  to  go  —  dear  Mamie !  " 

"  No ;  I  've  a  better  plan,"  said  Mrs.  Jeffrey. 
"  I  '11  write  and  ask  your  cousin  Esther  to  let  Mar- 
garet make  her  a  visit.  I  'm  sure  Esther  will  be 
glad  to  have  Marnie  —  and  I  've  never  asked  her 
such  a  thing  before  —  she  will  not  refuse  me,  I 
know.  The  child  must  have  a  change,  or  she  will 
get  ill.  I  '11  write  to-day.  But  we  won't  say  any- 
thing of  the  matter  until  we  hear  from  Esther." 

Before  Mrs.  Greenough's  reply  to  that  letter 
could  be  received,  however,  Margaret  had,  most 
unexpectedly,  accepted  another  invitation  to  go  out 
of  the  city. 

The  way  it  happened  was  this :  On  her  way 
home  from  Mrs.  Linton's  (the  old  lady  whose 
amanuensis  and  reader  she  had  been  for  several 
months),  Margaret  was,  one  afternoon,  caught  in  a 
sudden  and  violent  storm.  Finding  that  the  para- 
sol she  carried  was  almost  no  protection  against 
the  driving  rain,  the  girl  gathered  up  her  skirts, 
and,  scurrying  along  the  sidewalks,  plunged  into 
the  first  opening  that  offered  shelter.  It  proved 
to  be  a  narrow  dark  hallway,  in  which  was  a  stair- 
case leading  to  a  tailor's  shop  above,  and  as  Marnie 
whirled  herself  into  its  depths,  damp  and  breath- 
less, shutting  her  blue  parasol  with  a  click  of  relief, 
she  bumped  with  some  force  against  another  occu- 
pant of  the  hall. 

"  Oh,  I  beg  your  pardon  !  "  she  panted  out ;  and 
raising  her  eyes,  found  herself  face  to  face  with 
Jim  Ivors. 


304  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

"Oh!"  exclaimed  Margaret,  backing  hastily 
away. 

Jim  bowed  stiffly,  and  at  once  studiously  be- 
stowed his  attention  upon  the  rain,  which,  beating 
into  the  open  hallway,  soon  drove  Margaret  and 
himself  back  as  far  as  the  stairs. 

They  two  were  the  only  ones  in  the  narrow  hall ; 
and  presently,  obeying  an  impulse  that  was 
stronger  than  her  pride,  Margaret  said  softly, 
"Jim!" 

There  was  a  dead  silence  ;  Jim's  face  was  held 
rigidly  toward  the  doorway. 

"Jim  !  "  repeated  Margaret  pleadingly,  "  aren't 
you  ever  going  to  forgive  me  ?  "  With  her  eyes 
fixed  imploringly  upon  his  averted  face,  she  waited 
one  —  two  —  was  it  three  ?  —  seconds  ;  they 
seemed  an  eternity  to  the  proud  girl.  Then  — 
even  as  Jim  was  about  to  turn  and  speak,  though 
she  did  not  know  it  —  Mamie  came  suddenly  to 
the  end  of  her  patience  and  penitence.  "  You  may 
keep  your  forgiveness  !  "  she  cried  out  angrily,  her 
fine  figure  drawn  up,  her  hazel  eyes  flashing ;  "  I 
don't  want  it  now  —  I  would  n't  have  it !  I  never 
dreamed  you  could  've  acted  like  this  to  me,  Jim 
Ivors !  Now  we  're  quits  !  " 

Utterly  regardless  of  her  pet  summer  hat,  her 
thin  shirt  waist,  or  that  her  parasol  was  left 
<1  mining  itself  against  the  staircase,  Margaret 
dashed  past  Jim,  and  out  into  the  pelting  rain. 

Ami  as  soon  as  he  could  sufficiently  master  his 
aatonMiiiifiit  to  do  so,  after  her  went  Jim,  in  hot 
pursuit,  holding  his  big  old  cotton  umbrella,  with 


REVELATIONS  305 

one  of  its  black  attenuated  ribs  sticking  out  bare 
of  cloth,  well  at  arm's  length  before  him,  in  the 
vain  hope  of  reaching  and  covering  Margaret's 
head.  It  might  have  been  an  amusing  spectacle 
to  any  one  at  leisure  to  following  the  flying  figures. 

With  her  wet  skirts  flapping  heavily  at  her 
heels,  her  waist  plastered  to  her  shoulders  and  arms, 
her  hat  a  wreck,  and  innumerable  small  torrents 
cascading  over  its  brim,  Margaret  tore  along,  con- 
scious only  of  the  tempest  of  anger,  grief,  and 
despair  which  filled  her  heart.  And  behind  her 
floundered  Jim,  waving  the  umbrella  at  her  and 
calling,  in  varying  tones  of  command,  persuasion, 
and  entreaty,  "  Margaret !  Margaret !  Stop !  do 
stop  ;  d'  you  hear  ?  Come  under  the  umbrella ! 
You  '11  take  cold !  Margaret !  " 

On  went  Margaret  unheedingly  for  several  blocks 
—  over  running  gutters,  into  puddles ;  Jim  knew 
her  feet  must  be  soaking ;  then  her  speed  began  to 
flag,  she  was  getting  tired.  Jim  saw  her  put  her 
hand  to  her  side,  and  with  one  bound  he  was  be- 
side her.  "  Peggie  !  "  he  cried  sharply,  and  catch- 
ing hold  of  her  arm,  wheeled  her  briskly  through 
two  swinging  doors  and  into  the  vestibule  of  a  large 
publishing  house  which  stands  on  the  square.  In 
the  vestibule  was  a  short  flight  of  stone  steps,  and 
at  the  head  of  them  an  elevator,  which,  fortunately 
for  our  young  people,  was  just  then  at  the  top  of 
the  tall  building. 

"  Are  n't  you  ashamed  to  tear  out  into  the  rain 
like  that  ?  "  demanded  Jim  indignantly ;  but  it 
was  the  intimate  indignation  of  ownership  —  the 


306  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

tone  of  old  ;  the  new,  cold  dignity  which  had  so 
troubled  Margaret  was  gone.  "  You  're  simply 
soaking !  "  he  said,  touching  her  wet  shoulders  and 
arms.  "  Now  you  're  in  for  one  of  those  bad  bron- 
chial coughs  that  pull  you  down  so  "  — 

"  I  don't  care !  I  don't  care  if  I  get  pneumonia 
and  die !  "  cried  out  Margaret  stormily,  her  voice 
choking,  heavy  tears  across  her  eyes. 

Then  Jim  put  a  finger  under  her  chin  and  turned 
the  beautif id  flushed  face  up  to  his  view  ;  and  look- 
ing down,  down,  into  the  brimming  grieved  eyes, 
all  the  pain  and  bitterness  and  anger  of  the  dreary 
months  left  him.  "Peggie,"  he  said  tenderly, 
"  let 's  put  the  past  behind  us  and  forget  it  —  shall 
we?" 

And  right  there  in  a  corner  of  the  vestibule,  in 
imminent  danger  of  the  elevator  and  its  accom- 
panying genii  appearing  at  any  moment,  Mamie 
laid  her  head  against  Jim's  wet  coat-sleeve  and 
cried  for  joy. 

The  Margaret  who,  a  little  later,  appeared  be- 
fore Mrs.  Jeffrey  and  the  girls  was  such  a  soaked, 
bedraggled,  radiant  young  person  that  an  expla- 
nation was  instantly  demanded. 

"Come  into  mother's  room,  where  we  can  be 
private,  and  I  '11  tell  you,"  answered  Mamie,  with 
a  happy  laugh,  and  headed  the  small  procession 
which  was  immediately  formed. 

"  Where 's  uncle  Gabe  ?  he  must  hear  the  news, 
too,"  she  said,  when  they  had  reached  "  mother's 
room." 

"  Oh,  he  had  to  go  out  to  see  his  new  protege*, 


REVELATIONS  307 

the  Italian  boy,  Antonio  something  or  other ;  he  's 
ill,"  explained  Rune.  "  You  can  tell  him  after- 
ward." 

"So  I  can,"  cheerfully  agreed  Margaret. 
"  Well ;  "  she  looked  at  the  expectant  faces  before 
her  and  laughed  for  sheer  joy,  then  poured  out  her 
news.  "  Mother,  girls  —  Jim  and  I  've  made  it 
up  ! "  she  informed  them,  blushing  and  dimpling 
in  the  prettiest  manner.  "  And  Jim  starts  for  the 
Rocky  Mountains  on  next  Friday  —  a  week  from 
to-morrow ;  he  has  a  splendid  commission,  to  paint 
a  picture  of  the  Rockies  in  autumn  —  and  —  and 

—  mother,  I  'm  going  with  him  !  " 

Then  arose  a  small  babel  of  voices,  everybody 
talking  at  once ;  and  congratulations,  questions, 
unasked-for  advice,  embraces,  kisses,  wails,  and 
objections  were  jumbled  together  in  the  funniest 
fashion !  It  was  some  time  before  the  excitement 
died  down  sufficiently  for  one  voice  to  be  heard  dis- 
tinctly. Then  Margaret  —  she  was  on  her  mother's 
lap,  her  arms  around  that  lady's  neck,  and  such  a 
sparkle  in  her  eyes,  such  a  brilliant  color  in  her 
cheeks  as  had  not  been  seen  in  them  for  many 
weeks  —  then  Margaret  said,  very  earnestly,  "  Yes, 
mother  dear,  it 's  a  dreadfully  short  time — one  week 

—  and  I  dare  n't  think  of  how  I  shall  miss  all  you 
dear  people  !     But,  mother,  I  could  n't  let  Jim  go 
alone !     I  've  treated  him  so  badly  that  I  feel  as 
if  I  couldn't  do  enough  to  make  it  up  to  him! 
Oh,  mother !  "  with  a  sudden  burst  of  feeling  ;  "  it 
certainly   was   beautiful   of  Jim  to   forgive   me, 
many  another  man  would  n't  have  done  it !     We  '11 


308  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

just  be  married  quietly,  without  any  fuss  at  all ; 
at  the  church,  next  Thursday,  Jim  thought,  and 
start  on  our  travels  Friday.  Oh,  mother,  I  am 
so  happy ! " 

"Then,  after  all,  it  was  Jim  that  you  loved," 
remarked  Rufie,  in  her  downright,  uncompromis- 
ing fashion.  "  After  calling  him  all  those  names, 
too!" 

"  Yes,  it  was  Jim  I  loved  all  the  time,  only  I 
was  so  stupid  I  did  n't  know  it,"  Margaret  an- 
swered, a  little  shamefacedly,  but  brightly,  too. 
"Mr.  Austin's  courtliness  and  wealth — position  — 
turned  my  head  for  a  while,  but  it  was  Jim  I 
loved.  I  hated  the  thought  of  marrying  Mr.  Aus- 
tin ;  I  'd  go  to  the  world's  end  with  Jim  !  I  said 
he  was  untidy  —  clumsy  —  all  the  rest  "  —  she 
couldn't  bring  her  tongue  to  repeat  the  hard 
words  now  ;  "  well,  if  he  is,  I  don't  care,  I  would  n't 
have  him  different  in  one  single  particular." 

"  Would  n't  you  like  to  have  him  a  little  less 
demonstrative  ? "  asked  Ursula,  with  an  air  of 
innocence  that  set  everybody  laughing. 

"  No,  I  would  n't  have  him  less  demonstrative, 
not  one  atom  less ! "  declared  Mamie  stoutly. 
**  You  can  laugh,  all  of  you,  I  'm  too  happy  to  mind 
being  teased.  And,  mother,  I  don't  want  a  new 
dress  or  anything.  No,  Ursa,  you  dear  thing ! " 
as  Ursula  began  a  vehement  protest.  "  I  've  things 
enough,  and  plenty,  to  go  roughing  it  in  the  Rock- 
ies. I  '11  wear  that  pretty  white  gown  of  mine  to 
be  married  in,  and  my  blue  serge  will  be  just  the 
tiling  for  traveling !  " 


REVELATIONS  309 

"  In  the  mean  time,  my  dear,  do  go  and  get  off 
those  damp  clothes,"  urged  Mrs.  Jeffrey  anxiously. 
"  If  you  develop  a  bad  cold,  Jim  will  certainly 
have  to  go  to  the  Rockies  alone." 

"  Oh,  but  I  've  not  taken  cold,  I  know  I 
have  n't,"  protested  Margaret,  as  the  sisters  carried 
her  off  and  began  divesting  her  of  the  draggled, 
damp  clothing,  and  the  summer  hat,  whose  glory 
had  forever  departed. 

Margaret  was  correct  in  her  assertion  that  she 
had  taken  no  cold  from  her  soaking  in  the  storm ; 
and  on  her  wedding  day  she  was  surely  one  of  the 
most  beautiful,  radiant  brides  that  ever  passed 
over  the  portal  of  the  old  brown  church.  Only 
the  family  (in  which  were  included  Jack  Rose 
and  Basil  Fabrey)  and  one  or  two  old  friends 
made  the  assemblage  at  the  house,  but  there  was 
a  bride-cake  and  speeches  and  a  good  deal  of  quiet 
fun.  At  the  last  were  some  tears,  too,  when  the 
hour  of  parting  came,  and  Marnie  went  away  with 
the  husband  of  her  choice,  her  eyes  brimming  with 
tears,  but  a  happy  smile  on  her  lips.  As  for  Jim, 
in  a  new  suit  of  clothes,  new  necktie,  even  new 
cuffs,  he  looked  handsomer  than  ever,  though  al- 
most too  well  dressed  to  be  himself,  and  he  fairly 
radiated  joy. 

"  I  'm  the  happiest  man  in  all  the  world,  aunt 
Jeff  a,"  he  told  Mrs.  Jeffrey,  "  the  very  happiest ! 
Don't  be  sad,"  he  added,  his  kindly  soul  shining 
in  his  eyes ;  "  in  a  couple  of  months  or  so  we  '11 
be  back  again ;  then  you  and  the  girls  '11  have  to 
help  us  fix  up  our  home  —  our  home,  Peggie's  and 


310  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

my  home  ! "  Jim  set  his  lips  together  in  a  funny 
prim  fashion  that,  with  him,  indicated  a  state  of 
supreme  content.  "  It  '11  be  your  home,  too,  aunt 
Jeffa,  if  ever  you  need  one.  I  'm  your  son,  now, 
—  your  son  ;  you  understand  ?  " 

It  was  an  understood  thing  that  the  family  gifts 
were  to  be  practical,  for  the  new  home,  and  chosen 
upon  the  return  of  the  bride.  There  came  a  few 
presents  on  the  wedding  day,  however,  among  them 
a  handsome  box  of  silver  from  Miss  Austin,  with 
a  few  kind,  characteristic  lines  to  her  old  favorite 
(the  little  lady  was  of  the  very  few  to  whom  Mar- 
garet had  written  of  her  approaching  marriage). 
Another  wedding  gift  was  from  Basil,  in  a  sealed 
envelope.  It  was  addressed  to  "  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Jim  Ivors,"  and  below  the  superscription  was 
scrawled,  "  Not  to  be  opened  until  you  are  on  board 
the  train  and  steaming  away."  This  of  course 
excited  some  natural  curiosity,  and  a  joke  or  two 
at  the  expense  of  the  donor,  which,  however,  he 
laughed  off. 

But  later  in  the  afternoon,  when  Margaret  and 
Jim  had  gone,  and  the  guests,  and  when  Basil  and 
Judy  were  alone  together  for  a  while  in  the  draw- 
ing-room, he  brought  up  the  subject.  Basil's  arm 
was  well,  but  the  scar  across  his  cheek  was  of  a 
new  pink,  and  he  still  limped.  He  had  come  down 
from  the  hospital  in  a  carriage,  and  under  the  care 
of  an  orderly,  who  had  helped  his  charge  up  the 
Jeffreys'  long  flights  of  stairs,  and  was  to  return 
for  him  early  in  the  evening.  For  his  ankle's  sake 
Basil  had  been  on  the  lounge  the  greater  part  of 


REVELATIONS  311 

the  afternoon ;  he  was  there  now,  and  Judy  sat 
beside  him,  in  a  low  chair. 

"  You  're  the  only  one  that  's  asked  me  no  ques- 
tions about  that  sealed  envelope,"  the  young  man 
said,  smiling  at  his  little  fiancee.  "  Have  you  no 
curiosity  to  know  what 's  in  it  ?  " 

"  I  think  it 's  a  joke,"  Judy  replied  promptly. 
"  I  know  your  weakness  in  that  direction." 

"  No,  't  was  n't  a  joke ;  it  was  "  —  he  spoke 
slowly,  and  his  watchful  eyes  were  on  the  girl's 
face  —  "  it  was  my  present  to  Mamie  ;  a  check." 

"  A  check,"  repeated  Judy,  surprised ;  then  she 
laughed.  "  Oh,  yes,  a  make-believe  check,  for  a 
thousand  dollars  ?  I  knew  't  was  a  joke.  Better 
look  out,  they  '11  keep  it,  and  send  it  to  us  on  our 
wedding  day.  Then  the  laugh  will  be  on  you, 
sir ! " 

"It  was  a  genuine  check,  my  check,  for  ten 
thousand  dollars,"  Basil  said  deliberately. 

Judy  looked  at  him  in  bewilderment.  "You 
mean  that  somebody  sent  it  to  you  to  give  to  Mar- 
nie  ?  "  she  asked,  opening  her  eyes  very  wide ;  add- 
ing immediately,  "  But  we  've  no  friends  rich  enough 
to  do  that,  except  Miss  Austin,  and  she  has  sent 
all  that  silver.  Oh,  you  must  be  joking !  "  Still, 
she  was  evidently  disturbed. 

For  many  months  —  ever  since  his  acquaintance 
with  the  Jeffreys  had  ripened  into  friendship,  and 
especially  since  his  engagement  to  Judy  —  Basil 
had  been  looking  forward  to  a  certain  revelation 
which  he  intended  to  make  to  the  family.  In  his 
mind  he  had  often  gone  over  what  he  would  say 


312  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

and  do,  and  had  always  enjoyed  the  situation  in 
prospective.  But  now  that  the  time  for  the  reve- 
lation had  actually  arrived,  he  was  a  good  deal 
surprised  to  find  himself  nervous  and  wishing  the 
44  whole  business,"  as  he  designated  it,  well  over 
and  off  his  mind.  "  You  can  never  tell  how  she  '11 
take  a  thing,"  he  thought,  with  an  uneasy  glance 
at  Judy. 

"  I  'm  not  joking,  honest !  never  was  more  seri- 
ous in  my  life,"  he  said  quickly.  "  And  it 's  just 
as  I  told  you.  Margaret  is  my  cousin,  and  Jim 
has  been  a  true  friend  to  me  ever  since  I  've  been 
in  New  York.  I  did  n't  know  what  to  buy  them 
as  a  wedding  present,  and  they  could  use  the  money 
to  a  great  deal  better  advantage  for  themselves 
than  I  could  for  them,  so  I  sent  them  the  check. 
I  could  easily  do  it,  for,  Judy,"  —  Basil  tried  to 
get  hold  of  her  fingers,  but  the  girl  quietly  and 
firmly  clasped  her  hands  and  put  them  on  her 
knee,  out  of  his  reach,  —  "Judy,  I  've  got  plenty  of 
money,  I  'm  not  a  poor  man.  I  —  I "  —  he  stam- 
mered, then  stopped  entirely ;  he  was  finding  it 
much  less  easy  and  agreeable  to  make  his  revela- 
tion than  he  had  expected. 

"  Well  ?  "  remarked  Judy  coldly  ;  her  head  was 
thrown  back,  and  from  under  half -drooped  lids  she 
haughtily  surveyed  her  lover. 

*  Now,  Judy  !  "  eagerly  remonstrated  Basil ;  then 
getting  no  further  word  from  her,  he  took  up  his 
story,  with  a  strong  effort  at  his  usual  careless,  off- 
hand manner,  to  cover  the  horrible  growing  uneasi- 
ness that  possessed  him. 


REVELATIONS  313 

"  There  is  n't  very  much  more  to  tell ;  I  'm  simply 
a  rich  man  when  you  thought  I  was  a  poor  man. 
That 's  all !  'T  was  just  a  freak  took  me,  to  pass 
myself  off  as  a  poor  fellow  come  to  New  York  in 
search  of  a  job."  He  hurried  on.  "  And  —  and 
then  —  somehow  —  I  kept  it  up  until  now.  But  I 
wanted  many  times  to  tell  you,  Judy  —  and  it 's  a 
relief,  positively  a  relief  to  me  now,  to  've  told  you 
and  got  the  matter  off  my  mind." 

"  Why  should  you  pretend  to  us  that  you  were 
poor  ? "  demanded  Judith,  with  the  same  cold 
voice  and  glance. 

Basil  blushed  until  his  ears  burned  —  he  found 
it  very  difficult  to  answer  that  question.  "  Well, 
I  —  I  —  wanted  to  be  liked  for  myself,"  he  blurted 
out  sheepishly,  and,  as  he  would  have  expressed  it 
in  his  own  vernacular,  "  feeling  like  a  fool !  " 

"  Ah,  I  see ;  you  thought  your  money  would 
exercise  an  undue  influence  upon  us,"  Judy  said 
slowly,  icily.  "  Then  all  that  talk  to  me  —  and 
to  mother  —  that  day  at  the  hospital,"  —  she 
would  n't  look  at  Basil  now,  —  "  about  your  pov- 
erty, all  that  was  just  a  play  that  you  were  acting, 
for  your  own  entertainment  —  just  untruth  — 
every  word  of  it !  In  fact,  your  whole  life  toward 
us  has  been  false  ever  since  the  first  time  we  met. 
Well,"  ignoring  a  passionate  protest  from  Basil 
she  pushed  her  chair  away  from  the  lounge  and 
rose  —  Judy's  face  had  grown  deathly  white,  and 
the  expression  in  her  soft  eyes  brought  to  Basil's 
memory  the  dumb  reproachful  anguish  he  had  once 
seen  in  the  eyes  of  a  wounded  favorite  dog  of  his, 


314  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

but  Judy's  cold  speech  and  haughty  manner  belied 
her  eyes,  —  "well,"  she  said,  drawing  her  slight 
figure  up  to  its  fullest  height,  "  perhaps  you  think 
your  behavior  a  very  pretty  Lord  of  Burleigh 
bit  of  romance ;  I  do  not ;  I  hate  mysteries 
and  underhand  dealings  —  and  untruths,  no  mat- 
ter what  their  object  might  be.  And  I  feel  in- 
sulted —  insulted  —  that  you  should  have  imagined 
I  would  ever  marry  for  money.  I  would  gladly 
have  shared  with  you  the  poverty  you  romanced 
about.  Now  you  are  at  liberty  to  find  some  other 
woman  than  me  to  share  your  wealth ;  I  could 
never  trust  you  again  !  "  She  turned  proudly  to 
leave  the  room. 

But,  perfectly  reckless  of  the  ankle,  Basil  hastily 
scrambled  to  his  feet,  and  with  a  sort  of  hop,  skip, 
and  jump,  got  before  Judy  and  stopped  her  pro- 
gress. "  You  're  not  going  to  leave  me  in  this 
cruel,  mean  way,"  he  cried  out  vehemently.  "  It 
required  the  consent  of  the  two  of  us  to  make 
our  engagement,  and  you're  not  going  to  throw 
me  over  in  this  fashion  before  you  even  hear  the 
whole  story.  I  won't  let  you  I  Great  Jupiter, 
Judith,"  gathering  courage  and  determination 
as  he  spied  the  tears  in  Judy's  eyes,  "  what  're  you 
made  of  to  be  so  hard  upon  a  poor,  miserable  fel- 
low that  loves  you?  Were  you  poor  as  Job's 
moth-eaten  bird  or  rich  as  Croasus,  d'you  suppose 
that  would  make  any  difference  in  my  love  for  you  ? 
Ami  here  you  are  willing  to  throw  me  over  at  a 
ininiitf'.s  notice!  For  what?  Simply  because  I 
happen  to  have  a  few  dollars  more  than  you  thought 


REVELATIONS  315 

I  had.  You  've  just  got  to  hear  the  whole  story 
before  you  condemn  me."  He  led  her  gently 
but  firmly  back,  and  seated  her  on  the  lounge  he 
had  just  left. 

"  It  is  n't  the  money,  Basil,  it 's  the  deception. 
I  feel  as  if  I  could  never  trust  you  again  —  you  've 
deceived  me ! "  Judy  said,  her  lips  quivering,  all 
her  hauteur  gone  ;  and  putting  her  head  down  on 
the  lounge,  turned  away  from  Basil,  she  began  to 
cry. 

"  I  have  deceived  you,  I  have  acted  in  a  small, 
mean  way,  and  I  'm  awfully,  awfully  sorry  for 
it ! "  cried  Basil,  in  the  deepest  penitence.  De- 
spite sundry  and  sharp  twinges  in  his  "  game  leg," 
the  young  man  had  gone  on  one  knee  beside  Ju- 
dith, and  he  pleaded  his  cause  with  an  earnestness 
and  fervor  that  were  hard  to  resist.  "  I  don't  see 
how  I  ever  thought  of  such  a  scheme  in  regard  to 
you  all,  for,  believe  me,  Judy,"  and  the  honest  ring 
in  his  voice  carried  conviction  to  her,  "  there  are 
no  people  in  the  world  whom  I  respect  and  honor 
more  than  I  do  your  uncle  and  your  mother  and 
sisters.  Why,  I  have  the  same  sort  of  affection 
for  cousin  Etta  as  I  have  for  my  own  mother! 
'T  was  n't  because  I  considered  any  of  you  merce- 
nary that  I  planned  this,  for  I  soon  found  out  to 
the  direct  contrary.  Nor  was  it  for  the  sake  of  a 
mystery  or  a  practical  joke.  It 's  just  this,  and 
this  is  absolutely  the  truth  "  —  Judy  held  her 
breath  to  hear,  but  still  with  her  face  averted. 

"  For  a  fellow  of  my  age,  I  've  seen  a  good  deal 
of  the  world,"  went  on  Basil,  "  and  the  world  — 


316  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

the  biggest  part  of  it,  anyway  —  bows  down  to 
money.  Seven  years  ago  —  I  was  seventeen  then  — 
my  father  had  a  severe  stroke  of  paralysis,  and 
though  he  lived  for  several  years  after  that,  he  was 
a  confirmed  invalid,  never  equal  to  the  smallest 
detail  of  business.  He  had  big  interests  at  stake, 
and  somebody  had  to  take  hold  or  we  'd  have  lost 
everything.  So  I  gave  up  college  —  I  had  just 
entered  —  and  buckled  down  to  work.  Times 
were  favorable  —  all  the  governor's  —  my  father's 
—  schemes  matured  well,  and  his  death  left  me 
with  a  pile  of  money.  And  then  began  the 
trouble !  "  Basil's  thin  lips  curved  contemptu- 
ously, his  jaw  set,  and  his  eyebrows  became  one 
straight  line  in  a  heavy  frown.  He  was  n't  pretty 
to  look  at,  but  turning  her  head  on  the  sofa  cushion 
Judy  regarded  him  with  moist,  mournful,  inquiring 
eyes.  "  Because  I  had  a  fortune,  I  became  a  most 
wonderful  person  ;  the  way  men  bowed  down  to 
me,  and  women  and  girls  ran  after  me,  made  me 
fairly  sick  !  Now,  you  know,  Judy,  I  'm  no  fool," 
remarked  Basil  parenthetically ;  "  I  know  I  'm 
about  as  keen  a  business  man,  for  my  age,  as  could 
be  scared  up  anywhere  in  this  free  land,  and  just 
as  well  I  know  that  I  'm  ugly,  unmannerly,  and 
ignorant.  (The  very  first  time  I  saw  you,  you 
intimated  pretty  plainly  that  I  had  no  manners, 
and  you  hit  the  nail  on  the  head !)  And  when 
everybody  began  praising  me  up  to  the  skies  for 
my  money,  and  kept  it  up,  ad  nauseam,  I  knew 
just  about  how  much,  or  rather  how  little,  it  was 
worth  !  Well,  that  sort  of  thing  is  n't  good  for  a 


REVELATIONS  317 

fellow!  I  got  to  be  morose,  and  suspicious  of 
everybody  ;  the  milk  of  human  kindness  that 's  in 
me  began  to  curdle  to  a  high  state  of  acidity.  All 
that  flattery  and  deceit  wore  upon  me,  body  and 
soul ;  that 's  what  it  did.  Last  fall  I  got  desperate, 
dropped  the  whole  thing,  —  business,  society,  all,  — 
and  went  to  the  Rockies  for  some  hunting.  From 
there  I  came  on  here  on  a  matter  of  business.  I 
wanted  to  take  something  home  for  mother ;  a 
newspaper  man  I  happened  to  know  advised  a  pic- 
ture ;  he  is  a  friend  of  Jim's,  and  took  me  to  Jim's 
studio.  I  liked  '  Off  the  Coast  of  Maine,'  and 
bought  it  on  the  spot "  — 

"  You  the  man  that  bought  Jim's  picture  ?  Then 
it 's  for  you  that  he 's  gone  to  paint  that  picture  of 
the  Rockies,"  cried  Judy,  with  an  impulsive  move- 
ment of  the  hand. 

Basil's  smile  flashed  out.  He  caught  the  little 
hand,  quickly  kissed  it,  then  wisely  laid  it  down  ; 
and  Judy  as  quickly  hid  the  small  member  in  the 
folds  of  her  dress.  "  Go  on,"  she  said. 

"  I  did  n't  know  Jim  from  Adam  then,"  went  on 
Basil  obediently,  "  but  mother  was  born  in  Maine, 
not  very  far  from  that  bit  of  coast  he  'd  painted, 
and  I  mentioned  that.  That  led  him  to  speak  of 
your  mother,  who 's  from  the  same  place.  Of 
course,  I  'd  heard  my  mother  talk  of  cousin  Etta 
(mother  knows  all  about  this  scheme  of  mine,  and 
now  you  shall  see  the  letter  I  've  got  from  her 
about  you !),  and  when  he  offered  to  bring  me  here 
to  call  I  came ;  though  first  I  made  Jim  promise 
that  he  wouldn't  mention  I  was  the  person  that 


318  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

had  bought  his  picture.  D'  you  remember  that 
first  evening,  and  the  two  settings  down  you  gave 
me  ?  "  He  laughed,  and  all  the  merrier  when  Judy 
said  calmly,  "  Well,  you  deserved  them  !  " 

"  I  know  I  did,"  cheerfully  acquiesced  the  young 
man.  "  But  your  mother  is  really  responsible  for 
all  this  scheme  —  my  deception."  A  twinkle  came 
into  his  eyes.  "  That  first  evening,  when  I  started 
to  tell  her  of  the  poor  old  governor's  illness,  she 
misunderstood,  broke  in,  and  said  she  knew  all 
about  it,  that  she  'd  heard  of  father's  investing  in 
California  and  losing  all  the  money  he  had.  That 
gave  me  the  idea.  Judy,"  Basil  became  emphatic, 
"  from  that  very  first  evening  I  've  thought  you  the 
daintiest  girl  I  ever  laid  eyes  on !  I  think  I  loved 
you  from  the  very  minute  we  met,  in  spite  of  your 
snubs !  I  made  up  my  mind  that  you  should  be 
my  wife,  if  I  could  get  you !  I  knew  you  were 
true  and  honest,  —  I  felt  it,  —  but  for  my  own  sus- 
picious self's  sake,  to  satisfy  myself,  and  for  my 
heart's  comfort  and  content,  I  bound  Jim  over  to 
secrecy.  I  made  business  to  keep  me  in  New  York, 
and  went  in  to  win  your  love  as  poor,  uncouth,  ill- 
tempered  Basil  Fabrey,  without  a  dollar  to  his 
name.  And  I  have  won  you,  sweetheart,  eh?" 
By  some  intuition  his  hand  found  that  other  hand 
hid  in  the  folds  of  Judy's  gown  ;  and  the  amount 
of  persuasive  pleading  that  he  managed  to  express 
in  his  light  eyes  was  really  astonishing. 

Judy  sat  up  very  straight,  and  looking  very 
serious.  "  You  've  been  with  us  almost  daily  for 
nearly  a  year,  we  've  been  engaged  six  whole  weeks, 


REVELATIONS  319 

and  you  've  kept  all  this  from  me,"  she  said  wist- 
fully, yet  firmly.  "  I  could  n't  stand  your  having 
mysteries  from  me,  Basil — keeping  from  me  things 
so  important  and  intimate  as  these.  I  could  n't ! 
I  'd  rather  give  you  up  now,  for  I  'd  lose  confidence 
in  you,  and  faith,  and  without  those,  love  can't 
last." 

Then  with  her  hand  tight  clasped  in  his  own  two, 
and  with  his  inmost  soul  shining  in  his  eyes,  Basil 
Fabrey  honestly  made  answer :  "  Judy,  every  hu- 
man being  has  some  weakness  of  character  ;  I  have 
mine.  Even  to  you,  I  can't  promise  to  turn  my 
heart  inside  out  every  day ;  I  can't  promise  to  tell 
you  all  I  know.  But  I  trust  you  as  I  've  never 
trusted  any  living  creature  before,  and  I  love  you, 
dear,  with  all  my  strength !  Your  little  hand  holds 
my  heart's  strings,  and  if,  when  we  're  married, 
you  don't  always  know  all  my  secrets,  it  '11  be  your 
fault,  not  mine  !  How  is  it,  sweetheart  —  will  you 
give  your  life  into  my  keeping  ?  " 

Judy's  answer  is  not  recorded,  but  judging  from 
the  rapturous  exclamation  with  which  her  whis- 
pered word  was  received,  and  by  subsequent  events, 
it  must  have  been  the  one  that  Basil  was  longing 
to  hear. 

There  was  a  short  contented  silence,  then  Judy 
remarked,  a  little  wistfully,  "  So  there  '11  be  no 
saving  up  and  choosing  our  furniture,  piece  by 
piece  —  no  cosy  little  flat  for  just  ourselves.  It  '11 
take  me  a  good  while  to  get  accustomed  to  the 
new  order  of  things.  My  mind  is  all  unsettled  !  " 

"  We  need  n't  have  the  little  flat,  but  we  shall 


:;jo  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

have  money  to  spend  on  those  who  are  poor  and 
needy,"  Basil  said,  and  laughed  aloud  at  the  light 
that  sprang  into  Judy's  eyes,  and  her  delighted 
" Oh  !  "  "I  've  just  promised  there  should  be  no 
secrets  between  us,"  he  added,  **  so  I  '11  tell  you 
what  I  've  been  doing ;  I  'm  putting  three  of  the 
boys  in  the  wood-carving  class  through  the  Trade 
Schools.  They  're  bright  youngsters,  I  'm  glad  to 
give  'em  a  helping  hand.  I  gave  something  toward 
your  scheme,  too ;  I  bought  four  houses  on  Ded- 
lock  Street,  to  make  space  for  the  playground  "  — 

"  Oh,  Basil !  Basil !  "  cried  Judy,  clapping  her 
hands  softly ;  a  joyous,  happy,  proud  Judy  it  was, 
too  !  "  You  are  the  most  generous,  kind,  thought- 
ful —  dear  —  fellow  !  " 

Her  praise  was  sweet  to  Basil,  but  after  the 
manner  of  men  he  laughed  it  off.  "  It 's  your  do- 
ing, not  mine,"  he  said.  "  Until  I  met  you,  I  'd 
never  given  a  thought  to  there  being  poor  people 
in  the  world  whom  I  might  help,  —  God's  poor, 
as  you  call  them.  But  I  know  now,  and  we  won't 
forget  them,  you  and  I,  will  we  ?  "  he  added. 

44  There 's  mother  in  the  next  room  !  Mother  ! 
mother !  "  called  Judy.  "  Come  in  here  and  let 
Basil  tell  you  the  Arabian  Nights  story  he 's  just 
been  telling  me.  Come,  mother  !  " 


CHAPTER  XVI 

GREAT   DAYS 

ONE  fine  Saturday  afternoon  in  November,  the 
playground  at  Dedlock  and  Hinckson  streets, 
thenceforward  to  be  known  as  the  Children's  Park, 
was  formally  opened  and  handed  over  to  the  city 
authorities.  It  was  also  taken  possession  of  that 
day  by  the  children  and  young  people  for  whose 
enjoyment  and  benefit  it  was  designed.  Besides 
the  children,  in  many  instances,  came  their  parents, 
cousins,  aunts,  and  other  relatives.  Feeling  the 
occasion  especially  their  own,  the  Dedlockites  and 
Hincksonites  turned  out  in  full  force,  and  the  resi- 
dents of  the  adjacent  streets  with  them,  to  say  no- 
thing of  large  deputations  which  arrived  from  up 
town  and  down  town  and  considerably  swelled  the 
throng.  Such  a  jolly,  orderly  crowd  as  it  was,  too, 
the  typical  American  crowd,  good-humored,  patient, 
and  alert ;  appreciating  all  that  offered,  and  most 
anxious  not  to  miss  anything,  as  it  stood,  and  walked, 
and  sat  on  the  playground. 

A  band  discoursed  sweet  sounds  in  a  music 
stand  above  which  floated  the  stars  and  stripes. 
Flags  also  waved  from  a  tall  flagstaff  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  park,  and  from  the  windows  of  the  one 
house  which  had  been  left  standing  on  the  grounds. 


322  FORTUNE'S   BOATS 

This  house  had  been  put  in  perfect  order,  and 
here  were  baths,  a  swimming-tank,  a  gymnasium, 
a  wide  hall  with  accommodations  for  meetings,  dan- 
cing, or  amateur  theatricals,  and  a  comfortable 
reading-room  supplied  with  a  fair  library,  maga- 
zines, papers,  etc.  Adjoining  the  house  was  a  large 
covered  space  for  games  and  romps  on  rainy  days. 
On  the  grounds  a  fountain  played  merrily  in  honor 
of  the  occasion,  benches  were  set  in  convenient 
places,  and  great  heaps  of  earth  and  shining  white 
sand  stood  about ;  there  were  innumerable  swings, 
see-saws,  merry-go-rounds,  the  latter  on  tall  posts 
with  lengths  of  strong  rope  hanging  from  them  in 
the  most  inviting  fashion  ;  and  straight  smootli 
poles,  for  those  who  might  feel  inclined  to  "  shin 
up,"  shorter  poles  holding  open  bean-baskets,  and 
a  simple  outdoor  gymnasium  for  girls  as  well  as 
boys ;  and  besides  these,  and  above  all,  there  were 
wide  open  spaces  in  plenty  where  ropes  might  be 
skipped  and  races  run,  where  quoits,  basket-ball, 
tennis,  and  football  might  be  played,  or  kites  flown, 
marbles  rolled,  or  any  other  game  that  was  "  in  " 
enjoyed. 

A  few  trees,  which  had  been  found  in  the  yards 
of  the  tenements  taken  down  to  make  the  space, 
still  stood  on  the  playground,  mostly  bare  of  leaves 
just  now,  bnt  holding  promise  for  the  spring,  when 
other  trees  would  be  set  out,  and  flowers  around 
the  fountain. 

After  the  opening  exercises  were  over,  and  the  first 
shy  awe  of  ownership  had  worn  off,  grown  people 
and  children  began  to  amuse  themselves,  the  rldrrs 


GREAT  DAYS  323 

surging  in  a  continuous  stream  through  the  house 
and  over  the  grounds,  full  of  kindly  curiosity  and 
interest ;  while  the  young  people  proceeded  to 
enjoy  the  games  and  liberty  offered  by  the  play- 
ground. The  Indian-summer  sky  was  blue  and 
cloudless,  and  despite  the  soft  haze  in  the  atmos- 
phere and  the  breeze  that  was  abroad,  the  day 
was  warm,  and  the  refreshments  provided  by  one 
of  the  committee  (Basil),  in  the  shape  of  lemonade 
and  cakes,  were  highly  appreciated  by  the  crowd. 

The  mayor  and  several  other  city  magnates  and 
prominent  men  were  present,  and  numerous  ad- 
dresses were  made,  but  none  was  received  with 
such  evidence  of  approval  as  were  the  few  words 
spoken  by  Judith. 

With  the  exception  of  Margaret,  who  was  still 
with  Jim  in  the  Rockies,  all  the  Jeffreys  were 
present  at  the  opening  of  the  playground,  as  were 
Basil,  and  Jack  Rose,  Carter  Ferris  and  Ad  Lam- 
bert (the  last  two  in  the  interests  of  the  Leader), 
little  Miss  Austin,  merry  and  vivacious  as  ever, 
and  Roger  Austin,  who  had  recently  returned 
from  Europe,  rather  earlier  than  he  had  intended. 
Among  the  crowd  were  some  other  old  acquaint- 
ances of  ours :  the  Laidlers,  Tilley  ahead,  gaping 
in  delighted  wonder,  while  "  Villie  "  —  to  be  pro- 
tected from  the  crowd  —  walked,  solemn-eyed  and 
critical,  between  his  mother  and  Louise  ;  and  Netta, 
with  a  new,  wee  baby  in  her  arms,  and  several 
small  brothers  and  sisters  hanging  on  to  her  skirts. 
Mrs.  Quayle  was  there,  too,  with  her  lazy  husband, 
and  her  brood  of  various  sized  active,  quicksilver 


324  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

Quayles ;  Johnnie  —  such  a  tall,  thin,  white  Johnnie ! 
—  limping  painfully  along  with  his  leg  in  an  iron 
brace ;  and  Joe  Foyle  just  out  of  the  reformatory, 
more  hardened  and  reckless  than  when  he  was  put 
in ;  and  Freddie  Metz,  happy-go-lucky  and  impu- 
dent, at  the  head  of  his  "  gang."  It  was  this 
young  gentleman  and  his  satellites  and  Joe  Foyle 
who  started  the  cry  of  "  A  speech  from  Miss 
Judit' !  "  "A  speech  from  Miss  Judit'  Jeffrey  !  " 
"  A  speech !  a  speech !  "  and  kept  it  up  until  the 
enthusiasm  became  contagious,  and  such  a  shout 
went  up  that  Judy  had  to  respond  to  it  and  come 
to  the  front  of  the  stand.  A  great  many  of  those 
present  knew  her,  and  she  looked  so  high-bred  and 
dainty  standing  there,  so  young  and  pretty,  that  a 
roar  of  admiration  arose  from  the  crowd. 

As  Judy  looked  over  the  immense  bright  area 
of  the  playground,  then  down  upon  the  throng  of 
upturned  faces  before  her,  and  realized  that  at  last 
her  darling  project  for  these  "  neighbors  "  of  hers 
was  an  accomplished  fact,  her  heart  swelled  with 
thankfulness  and  a  lump  sprang  into  her  throat. 

It  was  a  minute  or  two  before  she  could  speak ; 
then,  "  Dear  people,"  she  said,  with  an  impulsive, 
friendly  movement  of  her  hands  toward  them,  her 
voice  full  of  feeling,  "  dear  friends,  I  can't  make 
a  speech.  I  can  only  tell  you  how  very,  very  happy 
and  glad  I  am  that  you  all  have  now  this  splendid 
place  in  which  to  rest  and  play  and  enjoy  a  good 
time.  In  this  crowd  I  see  ever  so  many  of  my  boys 
and  jjirK" — again  she  made  that  friendly  little 
wave  of  her  hands,  which  brought  nods  and  broad 


GREAT  DAYS  325 

gratified  smiles  from  a  number  of  the  throng,  — 
"  and  they  know  the  talks  we  've  had  together,  they 
and  I,  about  what  such  a  playground  as  this  would 
mean  to  us.  We  hoped  for  it,  though  not  expecting 
that  our  hopes  would  ever  be  realized.  But  they 
have  been  realized ;  God  put  it  into  the  heart  of 
some  rich,  kind  men  to  make  you  this  splendid  gift ; 
and  now  that  this  large  well-equipped  playground, 
with  all  its  comforts  and  enjoyments,  is  actually 
yours,  I  'm  sure  you  will  all  show  to  your  friends 
and  relatives,  to  the  good  men  who  have  given  you 
this  place,  and  to  the  whole  city,  the  excellent  use 
you  will  put  it  to.  I  've  told  the  people  who  have 
given  you  this  park  that  the  pleasure,  the  fun  and 
exercise,  that  you  '11  all  get  here  will  keep  you  off 
the  streets  and  out  of  mischief,  and  help  you  to  be 
better  boys  and  girls,  and  by  and  by,  better  men 
and  women,  better  citizens ;  in  fact,  help  you  to  do 
better  all  through  your  life.  I  have  n't  promised 
too  much  for  you,  have  I  ?  " 

Under  cover  of  the  lusty  cries  of  "  No !  no ! 
you  have  n't !  you  have  n't !  "  of  the  shouts  of 
applause,  wild  cheers,  and  clapping  of  hands  which 
ensued,  Judy  made  her  escape  from  the  stand,  and, 
joined  by  other  members  of  the  family,  mingled 
with  the  crowd. 

So  came  into  existence  the  Children's  Park, 
situated  at  Dedlock  and  Hinckson  streets,  and 
which  to-day  is  proving  itself  a  safety-valve  for 
high  spirits  and  youthful  vigor,  and  an  incalcu- 
lable blessing  to  the  boys  and  girls  of  the  East 
Side. 


326  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

Besides  the  completion  and  opening  of  the  play- 
ground, there  are  some  other  pleasant  events  to 
record  of  the  Jeffreys  and  their  friends. 

On  hearing  what  Judy  called  Basil's  "  Arabian 
Nights"  story,  Mrs.  Jeffrey's  first  involuntary 
exclamation  was,  "Then  Judy  will  have  to  live 
in  California  —  far  from  us  all !  "  and  in  a  tone  of 
such  dire  dismay  that  Basil's  feelings  were  rather 
injured.  Indeed,  in  the  days  which  followed, 
more  than  once  the  rich  young  man  felt  as  if  his 
long  considered  and,  in  his  estimation,  important 
revelation  had  somehow  missed  its  point.  The 
family  with  one  accord  had  taken  the  intelligence 
calmly.  Mrs.  Jeffrey's  manner  was  precisely  the 
same  to  him  as  of  old,  uncle  Gabriel  still  admin- 
istered a  gentle,  much-needed  snub  now  and  then, 
and  the  girls,  Judy  included,  continued  to  tease, 
laugh  at,  and  joke  with  their  cousin,  as  the  mood 
took  them.  And  while  sincere  in  his  professions 
of  disgust  with  the  fulsome  flattery  and  adulation 
paid  him  for  his  money  by  the  world,  Basil  was  yet 
at  times  a  little  nettled  at  the  Jeffreys'  perfect  in- 
difference to  his  worldly  worth.  Naturally  gener- 
ous, now  that  his  secret  was  out,  the  young  man 
was  inclined  to  play  the  grand  seigneur,  and  to  load 
down  his  relatives  and  betrothed  with  gifts  of  every 
description.  This,  however,  with  her  good  sense 
and  quiet  tact,  Mrs.  Jeffrey  soon  put  a  stop  to. 

"  But  I  'in  your  cousin,  I  '11  soon  be  your  son, 
why  should  n't  I  send  you  and  the  girls  whatever 
I  please  ?  What 's  the  harm  ?  "  demanded  Basil 
irritably,  on  this  occasion. 


GREAT  DAYS  327 

"  No  harm,  my  dear  boy  ;  indeed,  it 's  very  kind 
of  you,"  replied  Mrs.  Jeffrey,  in  her  pleasant  yet 
firm  manner.  "  And  knowing  that  we  thoroughly 
appreciate  your  kind  motives  and  your  affection 
for  us,  I  'm  sure  you  will  not  go  contrary  to  my 
wishes  when  I  ask  you  not  to  make  us  any  more 
such  expensive  presents." 

As  she  remained  firm  to  this  resolve,  though 
Basil  fumed  a  little,  he  had  e'en  to  submit,  and 
content  himself  with  showering  gifts  upon  Judy 
until  that  fastidious  young  lady  felt  compelled  to 
tell  him,  "  As  I  have  but  two  fingers  on  each  hand 
on  which  I  could  possibly  care  to  wear  rings,  and," 
with  a  demure  smile,  "  as  I  'm  not  a  Chinese 
image  on  which  to  hang  jewels,  I  'm  beginning  to 
wonder  what 's  to  become  of  all  the  pretty  orna- 
ments you  've  brought  me  ;  "  which  called  out  an- 
other little  storm  from  Basil. 

Unwarned  by  these  experiences,  young  Fabrey 
shortly  after  ran  into  another,  when  he  urged  (as  he 
soon  began  to  do)  that  Judy's  and  his  wedding 
should  be  at  an  early  date,  and,  as  he  expressed 
it,  in  "  bang-up  style  !  " 

"  I  know  scores  of  people  here  and  in  California 
that  I  mean  to  ask  to  our  wedding,"  he  told  his 
fiancee  one  day,  "  and  they  could  n't  possibly 
squeeze  into  these  small  rooms  if  they  even  tried. 
Now  my  idea 's  this  :  I  '11  hire  a  big,  handsomely 
furnished  house  right  away,  in  some  good  location, 
for  a  month,  you  people  will  move  in,  and  we  '11  be 
married  from  there  —  have  reception  and  every- 
thing, eh?  You  have  your  sisters  and  some  other 


328  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

girls  for  bridesmaids^  and  I  '11  scare  up  an  equal 
number  of  men  for  ushers  ;  we  '11  have  a  breakfast 
from  Sherry's,  and  a  jolly  good  time  all  round,  and 
the  whole  business  shan't  cost  cousin  Etta  one 
cent.  Now  I  know  exactly  what  you  're  going  to 
say,"  he  cried  out,  putting  up  his  hand  as  he  saw 
Judy's  face  change  and  she  opened  her  mouth  to 
speak,  —  "I  can  guess  every  word  of  it,  and  I  beg 
you  not  to  say  it !  I  don't  see  why  you  and  the 
family  should  treat  me  in  this  formal  way.  I  'm 
your  cousin  as  well  as  going  to  be  your  husband, 
and  I  don't  see  why  I  should  n't  be  allowed  to 
bear  the  expense,  particularly  when  I  've  got  more 
money  than  I  know  what  to  do  with,  and  would  be 
only  too  delighted  to  spend  some  on  you  people. 
Ah,  Judy,"  —  dropping  suddenly  into  pleading,  — 
"  don't  be  so  stiff  and  proud  !  Do  let  me  have  my 
way  for  once !  " 

The  color  flamed  in  Judy's  face;  Basil  knew 
well  the  poise  her  little  head  assumed ;  but  love 
for  the  blundering,  kind-hearted  fellow  made  her 
voice  very  gentle.  "  Basil  dear,  this  is  very  gen- 
erous of  you,"  she  said ;  "  but  we  could  n't  let 
you  do  it ;  mother  would  never  consent  to  such  an 
arrangement,  and  I  would  n't  have  her  consent 
to  it  for  the  world !  You  can't  have  a  grand  wed- 
ding, sir,"  she  added  playfully,  "  because  you  are 
marrying  a  poor  girl."  She  laughed  gayly  over  it. 
"By  and  by,  though,  when  we're  in  your — our— 
own  house  —  there  might  be  festivities,  should 
you  feel  so  inclined.  Let  us  wait  a  few  months 
longer,"  she  coaxed ;  "  mother  would  like  us  to 


GREAT  DAYS  329 

wait,  she  said  so  to  me  yesterday.  And  as  she 
wants  us  to  do  this,  I  think  we  should.  Don't 
you  think  it  would  be  nice  for  us  to  wait  until  Jack 
and  Francie  are  ready,  and  the  four  of  us  be  mar- 
ried on  the  same  day?  I  'd  like  that.  I  don't 
think  that  would  be  very  far  away,  now  that  Jack's 
book  is  doing  so  well.  To  please  mother,  Basil, 
don't  you  think  we  might  wait  awhile  ?  " 

Basil  arose  in  a  great  huff.  "  Wait !  "  he  cried 
—  "  for  that  slow  poke  Rose  to  make  enough  money 
to  get  married  ?  Wait  a  dozen  years  or  two  — 
that 's  what  it  '11  be  with  Frances  and  him,  and 
we  're  to  hang  on  to  suit  them !  Why  should  we  ? 
Cousin  Etta  should  n't  expect  it.  The  whole  truth 
of  it  is,  you  think  more  of  your  mother  and  the  girls 
than  you  do  of  me.  That 's  what  this  means ! 
And  I  won't  stand  that,  I  must  \^&  first  with  you, 
always  ' " 

Judy  was  provoked ;  she  threw  up  her  head 
proudly.  "  There  is  no  first  or  second  in  my  love 
for  you  and  my  mother  and  sisters,"  she  said 
coldly.  "  Each  has  a  distinct,  separate  place  in 
my  affections,  and  one  love  does  not  in  the  least 
conflict  with  the  other.  Had  n't  I  been  very  sure 
of  the  quality  of  my  love  for  you,  I  would  never 
have  promised  to  marry  you.  At  the  same  time,  I 
cannot  and  shall  not  ever  love  my  family  the  less 
because  of  my  caring  for  you.  Mother  does  n't 
insist,  she  asks  us  to  wait  awhile,  and  I  think  we 
sh— " 

Basil's  jealous  temper  was  roused;  he  had  never 
met  with  much  opposition  in  his  life,  and  did  n't 


330  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

take  kindly  to  thwarting.  "  You  dont  love  me  as 
well  as  you  do  them,"  he  interrupted  vehemently, 
"or  you  'd  be  willing  to  marry  me  and  go  to  the 
end  of  the  world  with  me,  at  a  moment's  notice. 
Look  at  Mamie,  did  n't  she  marry  Jim  at  a  week's 
notice  and  go  camping  out  in  the  mountains  with 
him  ?  Why  can't  you  do  as  I  want  ?  No !  you 
don't  care  a  fig  for  me,  that 's  the  reason !  "  Jam- 
ming on  his  hat  with  angry  energy,  the  young  man 
strode  out  of  the  room  without  waiting  to  hear 
Judy's  answer. 

"  I  '11  stay  away  a  week  —  two  weeks  —  and  just 
let  her  miss  me !  "  fumed  Basil,  tramping  furiously 
along  the  streets.  "  Another  girl  would  've  jumped 
at  such  a  wedding,  and  been  thankful.  But,  no  ! 
Miss  Judy  is  too  proud  !  she 's  always  got  to  be  dif- 
ferent from  everybody  else.  I  '11  just  let  her  alone 
for  a  week  or  two  —  she  's  an  airish  little  piece !  " 
So  he  fretted  and  stormed,  though  in  the  depths 
of  his  heart  knowing  that  he  would  n't  have  Judith 
different  in  even  one  particular,  that,  in  fact,  it 
was  just  that  reserve  and  loyalty,  that  wholesome 
pride  and  dainty  elusiveness,  which  he  now  desig- 
nated as  "  airs,"  that  made  Judy's  charm  for  him. 
44 1  '11  stay  away  two  weeks !  "  he  told  himself 
repeatedly  that  afternoon;  and  managed  to  keep 
away  from  the  Jeffreys'  until  the  next  evening. 
r>\  then  his  anger  had  evaporated,  his  longing  for 
a  sight  of  Judy  grown  stronger  than  his  sense  of 
injury,  and  with  an  attempt  at  his  usual  manner, 
though  in  reality  rather  sheepishly,  he  walked  into 
thr  ilining-room  where  Judith  sat  alone,  and  told 


GREAT  DAYS  331 

her,  "  Well ;  here  I  am  again !  I  could  n't  stay 
away,  you  see.  Have  your  way  about  the  wed- 
ding." 

The  warm  light  that  sprang  into  Judy's  eyes, 
the  loving,  impulsive  fashion  in  which  her  little 
hands  clasped  his  own,  were  precious  beyond 
value  to  Basil.  "  Am  I  not  worth  waiting  a  few 
months  for  ?  "  she  asked  wistfully. 

"  I  'd  wait  seven  —  fourteen  —  years  for  you,  if 
need  be,  as  Jacob  did  for  what  's-her-name  in  the 
Bible ! "  cried  Basil  fervently.  The  scowl,  which  for 
the  last  day  and  a  half  had  held  possession  of  his 
forehead,  now  vanished,  and  his  smile  flashed  out 
bright  and  sunny,  making  a  very  different  looking 
person  of  the  young  man. 

"  You  '11  not  have  to  wait  as  long  as  Jacob  did 
for  Rachel,  that  I  promise  you,"  Judy  archly 
informed  him,  with  one  of  her  rare  caresses. 

"  I  can't  wait  in  New  York,"  Basil  said.  "  I  Ve 
finished  the  business  that  's  kept  me  here  all 
this  time ;  so  I  '11  take  a  run  out  home,  see  mo- 
ther, look  into  business  affairs  out  there,  and 
begin  hunting  up  a  house  for  us  to  live  in  by  and 
by.  Mother  's  got  into  the  way  of  staying  at  a 
hotel,  to  avoid  the  bother  of  housekeeping  —  she 
isn't  strong;  but  you  would  n't  like  that  life.  I 
thought  not,"  as  Judy  made  a  hasty  movement  of 
dissent ;  "  and  I  've  got  to  have  something  ab- 
sorbing to  occupy  my  mind,  or  I  'd  be  stewing 
about  you,  fidgeting,  and  perhaps  get  •  to  thinking 
you  did  n't  care  for  me  ;  I  'in  a  suspicious  sort  of  a 
brute,  as  I  suppose  you  know  by  now." 


332  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

Judy's  fingers  tightened  round  his  hand.  "  You 
shan't  wait  long,  dear  fellow,  you  shan't ! "  she 
whispered. 

So  Basil  went  back  to  California,  and  Judy 
laid  in  a  large  stock  of  stationery  and  devoted  a 
portion  of  each  day  to  writing  him  what  Ruth 
jealously  declared  were  "  regular  journals."  Basil's 
letters,  as  a  rule,  were  short,  he  did  not  shine  as 
a  correspondent,  but  what  they  lacked  in  length 
he  made  up  for  in  telegrams,  Judy  receiving  one 
every  day  in  the  week,  and,  sometimes,  three  a 
day. 

In  the  mean  time  Jack  Rose  had  been  writing  a 
book,  his  first  novel,  having  hitherto  contented 
himself  with  putting  out  short  stories,  and  almost 
immediately  after  publication  The  Faithful  Fail- 
ure of  Robert  Herrick  sprang  into  a  wide  popu- 
larity. There  are  books  and  books  which  win 
favor  with  the  public ;  this  one  of  Jack's  was  a 
simple  story,  told  in  simple  Saxon  English,  but 
the  characters  in  it  were  so  true  to  life,  the  mes- 
sage it  carried  so  genuine  and  needed,  and  so  up- 
lifting, that  the  critics  spoke  only  the  truth  when 
they  described  the  book  as  a  "  veritable  human 
document."  Grove  and  Erveng's  printing-presses 
worked  night  and  day  to  supply  the  demand ; 
Robert  Herrick  leaped  into  the  "  hundred  thou- 
sand "  copies,  and  John  Miuot  Rose  became  a 
person  of  great  interest  to  the  public.  Paragraphs 
about  him  began  to  appear  in  the  newspapers  and 
magazines ;  and  dazzling  offers  for  his  next  book 
poured  in  upon  him.  All  this  popularity  consul- 


GREAT  DAYS  333 

erably  disturbed  Jack,  and  particularly  the  daz- 
zling offers. 

"  Of  course,  I  'm  very  glad  the  book  's  going  so 
well,"  he  told  Frances  one  evening,  when  he  had 
come  in  late  from  the  Leader  office,  tired,  and 
looking  careworn ;  "  but  I  wish  those  personal 
items  would  stop  appearing  —  they  worry  a  man  ! 
And  these  letters  from  publishers  "  —  he  held  out 
several  —  "  they  're  making  me  the  wildest,  most 
liberal  offers,  for  books  that  I  could  n't  possibly 
write  !  You  know,  little  woman," — this  was  Jack's 
pet  name  for  his  tall  young  fiancee,  —  "I'm  not 
one  of  the  brilliant  kind  that  can  reel  off  a  book 
at  short  notice.  I  have  to  have  a  story  in  my  mind 
a  long  time,  and  grow  to  know  the  characters  in  it, 
and  be  so  interested  in  them  that  they  come  to  be 
living,  breathing  people  to  me  and  I  absolutely 
must  write  about  them.  I  must  be  full  to  the 
brim  of  the  story  —  possessed  by  it  —  before  I  can 
tell  one  word  of  it  —  I  can't  write  to  order.  At 
present,  I  have  n't  one  idea  in  my  head,  not  a  ghost 
of  one,  for  another  book,  and  none  may  come  for 
a  year  —  years  —  I  can't  tell,  and  here  these  offers 
keep  coming !  I  wish  they  'd  stop  all  this  talk 
and  notice  of  me  ;  it  just  bothers  and  upsets  me  !  " 

There  was  such  a  worried  expression  in  Jack's 
honest  gray  eyes  that  Francie  took  his  long-fin- 
gered hand  in  hers,  and  began  gently  stroking  it. 

"  Don't  let  your  praise  trouble  you,  dear  heart," 
she  said  tenderly.  "  Remember  what  old  a  Kempis 
says,  —  the  verse  you  once  quoted  for  me,  that 
afternoon  in  the  park,  —  *  You  are  none  the  better 


3M  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

because  you  are  praised,  you  are  none  the  worse 
because  you  are  blamed ;  what  thou  art,  thou 
art ! ' " 

Jack's  face  brightened.  "  That 's  so !  that 's  a 
fact !  "  he  declared.  "  There 's  comfort  in  those 
words ;  I  '11  try  and  hold  on  to  them.  Now  help 
me  decide  another  question.  Hilliard  Erveng 
came  to  see  me  to-day.  On  behalf  of  Grove  and 
Erveng  he  advises  me  to  give  up  the  Leader  at 
once  and  devote  all  my  time  to  writing  books. 
Hill  thinks  I  ought  to  do  it.  Now,"  Jack  looked 
appealingly  at  Frances,  "  there 's  more  money  in 
the  stories  —  but,"  slowly,  reflectively,  "  I  think 
I  'd  rather  not  give  up  the  Leader  for  a  while  yet ; 
I  can't  say  now  for  how  long.  As  I  've  told  you,  I 
could  n't  sit  down  and  begin  another  story  right 
away,  and  I  know  that  I  can  do  some  good  by  stay- 
ing on  in  the  office  and  helping  two  fellows  there." 
Jack  colored  up  at  his  own  modest  self-praise, 
but  soon  forgot  himself  in  his  earnestness.  "  When 
I  first  went  on  the  staff,  Driscal  used  to  object  to 
my  editorials,  —  to  the  principles  I  expressed  in 
them.  He  said  I  was  old-fashioned  in  my  ideas. 
and  that  the  Leader  was  n't  a  Sunday-school  or^iin 
to  point  a  moral  to  the  public.  Well,  perhaps  I 
am  old-fashioned  in  some  ways,"  Jack  said  simply ; 
"  but  you  know,  Francie,  right  is  right  and  wrong 
is  wrong,  there  can  be  no  *  fashion  '  about  princi- 
ples ;  and  I  got  so  discouraged  that  several  times 
I  thought  of  resigning  my  jwsition.  But  some- 
how, I  didn't;  I  hung  on,  and  kept  writing  just 
what  it  seemed  to  me  \vas  fair  and  honest  to  write. 


GREAT  DAYS  335 

And  gradually,  when  Driscal  found  that  the  circu- 
lation of  the  paper  wasn't  falling  off,  but  gaining, 
and  that  nobody  kicked  at  the  sentiments  ex- 
pressed in  my  editorials,  why,  he  let  me  alone,  and 
now  rarely  questions  anything  I  write. 

"  Now,"  Jack  leaned  forward  and  waved  an  im- 
pressive forefinger  in  the  air,  "  most  men  on  a 
newspaper  write  just  what  they  're  told  to  write ; 
it 's  expected  of  them,  and  very  often  strenuous 
circumstances  compel  them  to  meet  those  expecta- 
tions, but  I  've  got  two  young  fellows  in  training 
that  are  not  like  that.  It 's  for  their  sakes  that  I 
want  to  stay  on  the  Leader.  One  of  them,  Oli- 
phant,  has  been  in  the  office  a  couple  of  months, 
the  other 's  just  come,  and  they  're  going  to  make 
their  mark  in  journalistic  work,  or  I  'm  much  mis- 
taken. They  're  '  strong '  men,  with  sound  views, 
and  they  're  getting  the  courage  of  their  convic- 
tions. In  a  newspaper  office  a  man  needs  courage 
as  well  as  intellectual  ability — courage  of  the  high- 
est kind  ;  and  by  using  my  influence  in  the  office,  — 
I  'in  a  much  bigger  personage  with  Driscal  since 
Robert 's  grown  so  popular,"  Jack  opened  his  eyes 
at  Francie,  —  "  by  using  my  influence  for  those 
two  fellows  and  seeing  them  '  through '  with  Dris- 
cal now,  they  '11  have  cultivated  a  stiff  backbone 
of  their  own  and  be  able  to  depend  on  it  before  I 
step  out.  If  I  left  now,  I  'm  afraid  Driscal  might 
overrule  them  —  he's  a  cantankerous  animal!  and 
that  'd  be  a  loss  to  the  paper.  Of  course,"  Jack 
added,  trying  to  be  dispassionate,  "  I  'm  not  the 
editor-in-chief  of  the  Leader,  and  Driscal  might 


336  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

say  this  was  officious;  but  an  honest,  fearless 
newspaper  is  a  power  in  the  land,  and  I  feel  as  if 
I  ought  to  stay  on  and  give  those  fellows  a  help- 
ing hand.  What  do  you  think  about  it  ?  "  Jack 
finished  with  anxious  eyes,  and  with  locks  that,  in 
his  preoccupation,  he  had  ruffled  rampantly. 

"  You  're  perfectly  right !  Stay  on,  by  all  means, 
until  you  've  done  your  duty  by  those  men,"  re- 
plied Francie  promptly.  "  'T  won't  hurt  us  to  wait 
a  little  longer." 

"  Oh,  but  we  need  n't  wait  at  all,"  eagerly  cried 
Jack.  "  Hilliard  tells  me  that  Robert  is  bringing 
me  in  a  nice  little  penny,  so  we  can  get  married 
just  as  soon  as  you  're  ready ;  and,"  he  added 
wistfully,  "make  it  early,  little  woman!  " 

As  one  result  of  this  conversation  there  was  a 
family  council  held  that  evening,  with  the  subse- 
quent event  of  a  double  wedding  in  the  Jeffrey 
family  on  January  fifth  —  just  five  weeks  later. 

The  fifth  proved  itself  a  glorious  winter  day, 
clear  and  cold,  with  a  bright  sun  casting  a  glitter 
over  the  snow  which  lay  upon  the  ground  and  pow- 
dered the  leafless  trees  in  the  park.  There  was  no 
reception,  but  after  all,  the  weddings  were  not  so 
quiet,  for  all  the  relatives  and  friends,  including 
Basil's  "scores,"  were  invited  to  the  church,  and 
a  goodly  company  assembled  to  witness  the  cere- 
mony. Some  of  Judy's  "  poor  people  "  and  boys 
and  girls  were  also  remembered,  seats  being  found 
for  thrm  in  the  gallery  from  whence  was  obtained 
an  excellent  view  of  all  the  doings.  Then,  by 
order  of  one  of  the  bridegrooms,  the  interior  of  the 


GREAT  DAYS  337 

old  brown  church  was  elaborately  and  beautifully 
dressed  with  plants  and  flowers  ;  and  a  full  vested 
choir  formed  two  lines  and  sang  "  The  Voice  that 
breathed  o'er  Eden,"  as  the  bridal  party  passed  up 
the  aisle  to  the  chancel,  where  uncle  Gabriel  and 
the  rector  awaited  them.  The  bridegrooms  were 
waiting  there,  too  —  Basil  pale,  nervous,  scowling, 
until  he  met  Judy's  calm,  loving  gaze  ;  and  Jack 
Rose  so  filled  with  happiness  as  to  have  entirely 
forgotten  his  usual  shyness.  With  all  the  ease  and 
dignity  of  one  now  four  months  a  married  man, 
Jim  gave  away  the  brides,  who,  like  all  brides, 
looked  charming  in  their  white  array ;  the  new 
husbands  held  themselves  proudly,  as  befitted  their 
good  fortune ;  and  that  afternoon's  Leader  came 
out  with  a  full-column  glowing  description  of  the 
auspicious  event,  which  was  read  with  particular 
interest  by  the  admirers  of  the  author  of  Robert 
Herrick. 

Whether  the  happy  couples  took  their  wedding 
trip  together,  or  where  they  went,  I  am  not  at 
liberty  to  tell,  but  when,  two  or  three  weeks  later, 
they  appeared  at  a  reception  given  for  them  by 
Mrs.  Felix  Rose,  all  four  looked  as  happy  as 
Anglo-Saxon  etiquette  ever  permits  newly  married 
people  to  appear  in  public. 

The  reception  was  from  four  to  seven  o'clock, 
and  when  the  last  of  the  invited  guests  had  bowed 
himself  out,  the  various  members  of  the  Rose  and 
Jeffrey  family  then  proceeded  to  enjoy  what  Basil 
Fabrey  afterward  declared  was  "  a  jolly  good 
time !  "  They  were  a  host  in  themselves.  Old 


338  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

Mr.  Rose,  stooping  more  and  more  about  the  shoul- 
ders, and  more  and  more  absorbed  in  his  ancients, 
quite  warmed  to  merry,  talkative  uncle  Gabriel. 
He  took  the  reverend  gentleman  into  his  study  and 
showed  him  the  Fetich  in  two  or  three  revised  edi- 
tions, and  his  latest  work  on  some  other  ancient, 
long-forgotten  race  of  people.  Philip  Rose,  the 
elder  brother,  had  come  on  from  Chicago  to  be 
present  at  the  wedding  of  Jack,  whom  now  and 
then  he  still  called  by  the  old-time  boyish  name  of 
"  Rosebud."  Phil  had  brought  with  him  his  wife 
(a  quiet,  mouse-like  little  woman,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Helen  Vassah)  and  his  four  children  — 
the  twins,  Felix  and  Nora,  and  their  younger 
brothers,  Philip  and  Hugh. 

At  one  time  during  the  evening  Mrs.  Derwent 
touched  her  husband's  arm,  with  a  whispered, 
"  Look,  Max !  "  and  a  significant  glance  toward 
the  hall  where  were  Phil  and  Felix.  The  brothers 
were  walking  slowly  back  and  forth,  talking  in  ]W 
tones,  with  bent  heads,  and  with  Phil's  arm  thrown 
across  the  younger  one's  shoulder,  in  the  old-time 
attitude.  It  was  a  stronger  Felix  now,  and  more 
robust,  though  still  lame  and  often  compelled  to 
carry  a  cane,  and  with  the  same  calm  gaze  and 
Runny  kindly  smile.  Although  now  prominent  in 
his  profession,  with  many  wealthy  and  important 
clients,  Felix  Rose  was  also  widely  known  as  the 
"  poor  man's  "  lawyer.  His  wife  Alice  was  in  the 
drawing-room  (her  little  son  Felix  leaning  against 
her  knee)  talking  with  the  new  bride,  Mrs.  Basil 
and  with  Ruth  and  the  elegant  Mrs.  Chad- 


GREAT  DAYS  339 

wick  Wliitcombe,  whose  dandified  looking  husband 
was  discussing  "  mines  "  and  "  silver  "  with  Basil. 
Betty  and  Milliard  Erveng  made  a  merry  group 
with  Francie  and  Jack,  Mrs.  Jeffrey,  and  Max  and 
Nannie  Derwent ;  while  Alan  and  his  yellow  haired, 
sweet-faced  sister  Madel  and  Ursula  Jeffrey  sat 
in  a  corner  and  talked  of  the  absent  Paul,  and  of 
another  Rose  who  was  absent  —  one  Katharine,  or 
Kathie,  who  had  married  an  Englishman  and  gone 
to  live  in  England. 

Besides  all  the  talking  and  laughter  there  was  a 
good  deal  of  dancing  done  that  evening,  by  the 
grown  people  as  well  as  by  the  eleven  children  who 
called  "  Professor "  Rose  grandfather,  and  the 
amount  of  vigor  and  enjoyment,  to  say  nothing  of 
grace,  that  was  put  into  those  gyrations  is  beyond 
description. 

As  Basil  was  a  man  of  wealth,  and  Jack  Rose 
a  public  favorite  through  Robert  Herrick,  many 
social  attentions  were  offered  to  our  young  married 
people,  some  of  which  they  accepted,  while  others, 
for  lack  of  time  (or,  perhaps,  inclination),  they 
were  forced  to  decline. 

Of  one  of  the  entertainments  which  they  ac- 
cepted I  must  tell  you.  It  was  a  dinner  given  by 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jim  Ivors,  and  great  were  the  pre- 
parations for  it.  Mrs.  Jeffrey  and  Rufie  were  on 
hand  all  day  to  help,  and  the  brides  —  Judy  from 
the  Waldorf  and  Francie  from  the  Rose  home, 
where  Jack  and  she  were  living  until  their  own 
home-nest  was  ready  —  went  down  to  the  studio 
building  where  Jim  and  Maruie  had  their  rooms, 


340  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

and  lent  their  aid,  that  all  might  go  off  well.  The 
Ivors's  apartment  was  at  the  top  of  the  tall  build- 
ing (fortunately  there  was  an  elevator),  and  very 
cosy  and  comfortable  it  was  —  "  artistic  "  was  the 
term  Mrs.  Marnie  liked  best  to  have  applied  to 
her  home.  But  there  was  no  denying  it  that 
with  the  exception  of  Jim's  studio  (where  his 
new  picture,  "Autumn  in  the  Rockies,"  was  in 
due  state  of  progress)  the  rooms  were  small,  and 
for  this  reason  it  required  some  planning  and  inge- 
nuity to  seat  twelve  people  in  the  wee  dining-room. 
It  is  a  well-known  fact,  however,  —  to  housekeep- 
ers,—  that  rooms  and  dining-tables  can  be  made 
to  "  stretch,"  and  it  was  certainly  demonstrated  on 
this  particular  occasion.  Besides  the  new  brides 
and  bridegrooms,  and  the  host  and  hostess,  the 
guests  were  Mrs.  Jeffrey,  uncle  Gabriel,  Ursula 
and  Ruth,  Alan  Rose,  Carter  Ferris,  and  Ad  Lam- 
bert, the  last  two  being,  one  a  struggling  artist, 
the  other  an  impecunious,  witty  journalist,  and 
both  old  friends  of  Jim  and  the  Jeffreys. 

It  was  a  tight  squeeze  around  that  festive  board, 
but  if  elbows  touched,  and  if,  at  certain  angles, 
one  or  two  of  the  company  ate  their  dinner  with 
the  unusual  complement  of  three  legs  under  the 
table  to  take  care  of  instead  of  two,  who  cared  ? 
No  one  there,  I  am  sure. 

Such  a  pretty  table  as  it  looked  —  one  of  Mrs. 
Jack's  most  artistic  efforts !  with  the  fine  damask 
napery  and  shining  glass  (the  family  wedding 
presents  to  Marnir)  and  Miss  Austin's  handsome 
silver,  and  Mi-.  Kail's  i-ontnluitioii  of  exquisite 


GREAT  DAYS  341 

pink  roses  to  set  it  all  off,  and  with  such  a  beautiful 
young  matron  at  one  end,  such  a  handsome  ruddy 
Benedict  at  the  other. 

Though  nominally  Marnie  was  in  charge  of  her 
own  dinner  party,  it  was  capable  Rufie  who  re- 
ceived the  fluttering  nervous  orders  telegraphed 
by  the  young  hostess's  eyes,  and  calmly,  as  one  to 
the  manner  born,  interpreted  them  to  the  trim 
little  maid  who  made  her  way  with  such  expedition 
and  deftness  around  the  crowded  room.  It  was 
Ruth,  too,  who  had  arranged  the  menu,  and,  with 
Mrs.  Jeffrey's  and  Gretchen's  help,  carried  it  out 
so  successfully.  And  if,  now  and  then,  Gretchen's 
inquisitive  eyes  peeped  around  the  screen  that 
stood  before  the  kitchen  door,  can  any  one  blame 
her  for  taking  a  look  at  the  festivities  which  in 
her  way  she  had  helped  to  promote  ?  Only  Rufie 
saw  her. 

Such  a  jolly  little  dinner  as  it  was !  everybody 
(even  the  hostess,  when  once  she  was  assured  the 
domestic  machinery  was  moving  smoothly)  en- 
joyed himself  and  herself.  Such  witty  remarks 
were  made,  such  laughter-provoking  stories  told, 
such  toasts  drunk,  such  amusing  speeches  given, 
that  the  hours  slipped  by  like  a  velvet-footed  thief, 
and  almost  before  one  knew  it  the  dinner  was  over, 
the  evening  past,  and  it  was  time  to  bid  good-by. 

"  Well,"  remarked  Basil  to  his  wife,  as  with  a 
white  shining  cloak  thrown  over  that  lady's  wed- 
ding gown,  and  with  her  long  train  over  her  arm, 
they  two  were  walking  the  few  blocks  to  their 
hotel,  —  "  well,  of  all  the  social  functions,  large  or 


342  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

small,  that  I  've  attended,  —  and  I  've  had  some 
experience  in  that  line,  —  I  've  enjoyed  Jim's  and 
Mamie's  dinner  the  most.  It  was  a  grand  suc- 
cess, from  beginning  to  end  !  " 

And,  expressed   or   unexpressed,  that  was  the 
opinion  of  all  who  were  at  the  dinner. 


CHAPTER  XVII 
UNCLE  GABE'S  PARISH 

"  HAS  the  Muse  deserted  you  ?  Is  this  one  of 
the  times  when  the  story  refuses  to  be  written  ? " 
Mrs.  Jeffrey  asked,  one  afternoon,  coming  into  the 
dining-room  where  sat  Ursula  at  the  wide-topped 
desk  by  the  west  window.  Miss  Weewee  was  also 
in  the  room,  extended  on  the  table  in  an  attitude 
of  supreme  comfort,  with  her  hind  legs  drawn  up, 
and  a  slender  black  and  white  paw  thrown  grace- 
fully across  her  upturned  face.  Under  cover  of 
this  paw  she  opened  one  green  eye  and  glanced  at 
Mrs.  Jeffrey,  then  fell  off  to  sleep  again. 

A  spring  and  summer  and  winter  had  passed 
since  Mamie  and  Jim  gave  their  gay  little  dinner 
party,  and  now  another  spring  was  lending  beauty 
to  the  world.  Ursula  had  been  improving  an 
unexpected  half  holiday  from  the  Leader,  and  the 
sheets  of  manuscript  lying  beside  her  testified  to 
her  diligence.  But  now  she  was  sitting  idle,  with 
her  elbows  on  the  desk,  her  cheek  resting  against 
her  clasped  hands,  and  in  her  eyes  a  tender  yet 
absent  expression,  which  gave  evidence  that  her 
thoughts  were  far  away.  At  the  sound  of  her 
mother's  voice  Ursa  woke  from  her  reverie,  with 
a  start  and  a  bright  smile. 


344  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

"  I  'd  forgotten  the  story  ;  I  was  so  busy  think- 
ing," she  said.  "  I  '11  not  write  any  more  now  ; 
instead,  Mistress  Mother,"  —  raising  her  arms  OUT 
her  head,  Ursula  caught  Mrs.  Jeffrey  as  that  lady 
was  going  by,  and  pulling  her  face  down  kissed 
her,  — "  instead,  please  your  ladyship,  I  'in  going 
to  sit  with  you,  and  help  with  the  weekly  mend, 
and  talk.  An  all-around-up-to-date  girl,"  with  a 
roguish  glance  at  her  mother,  —  sewing  was  not 
one  of  Ursa's  strong  points,  —  "  should  know  how 
to  patch  and  darn  as  well  as  to  write,  should  n't  she  ? 
And  now  is  my  chance  to  take  lessons,  while  Rufie 
is  away ;  she  sews  so  beautifully  that  I  'm  always 
ashamed  to  make  my  awkward  attempts  before 
her.  Let 's  sit  over  here  by  the  window." 

Mother  and  daughter  settled  themselves  near 
the  south  window,  in  a  cosy  corner,  which  the 
April  sunshine  made  bright  and  warm ;  and  when 
Ursula  had  hunted  for  and  found  "  something 
easy  "  to  mend,  the  sewing  began. 

There  was  a  short  silence  of  industry,  then, 
dropping  her  work  in  her  lap,  and  lounging  for- 
ward in  the  low  chair  with  her  hands  clasped 
loosely  round  one  knee,  Ursula  remarked,  "  Mo- 
theree,  let 's  talk  about  the  family.  You  say  you 
read  Ruffe's  letter  to  Mamie  this  morning,  and 
I  got  such  a  nice  long  epistle  from  Judy,  which  I 
have  very  stupidly  forgotten  in  the  office ;  but  you 
shall  read  it  to-morrow.  Judy  says  so  many  lov- 
ing and  complimentary  things  about  Itufie  that  I 
intend  to  keep  the  letter  and  let  that  young  person 
read  it,  as  a  solace  when  she  has  torn  herself  away 


UNCLE  GABE'S  PARISH  345 

from  her  twin  and  returned  to  us.  I  suppose  Ruth 
told  of  the  arrival  of  the  Austins  in  Oakland  ? 
Mother,"  Ursa  turned  a  pair  of  big  questioning 
eyes  upon  Mrs.  Jeffrey,  "  does  n't  it  look  odd  that 
the  Austins  should  go  out  to  Oakland,  when  Miss 
Austin  herself  told  us  that  her  brother  had  been 
there  so  often  that  he  was  tired  of  the  place  and 
wanted  never  to  see  it  again  ?  "  Ursula  threw 
a  cautious  glance  over  her  shoulder  (which  was 
unnecessary,  as  this  was  one  of  the  occasions  when 
Gretchen  took  an  afternoon's  airing),  and  dropping 
her  voice,  resumed:  "I  think,"  with  a  sagacious 
wag  of  her  head,  "  it  was  Rufie  that  took  them 
there,  and  that  Miss  Austin  would  like  to  have 
our  Ruth  for  a  member  of  her  family,  though  I 
should  think  she  and  he  would  both  be  afraid, 
after  their  experience  with  Mamie.  Doesn't  it 
seem  as  if  I  might  be  right  ?  " 

Mrs.  Jeffrey  looked  half  pleased,  half  troubled. 
"  Perhaps  you  are  right,"  she  said.  "  In  that  case, 
I  do  hope  that  Ruth  will  know  her  own  mind 
well"- 

"  You  need  n't  trouble  about  that,  mother," 
broke  in  Ursula.  "  Rufie  is  n't  changeable.  If 
she  likes  anybody,  she  likes  them  to  the  end ;  and 
I  have  a  suspicion  that  she  likes  Mr.  Austin  — 
I  mean  a  good  deal.  He  is  n't  at  all  the  man  I 
thought  would  suit  Ruth,  but  how  can  one  be  sure 
as  to  what  would  suit  this  one  or  the  other  ?  Oh 
dear !  then,  if  anything  should  come  of  that  "  — 
She  paused,  pulling  down  the  corners  of  her  mouth 
dismally. 


346  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

"  Then  I  'd  have  but  one  home  daughter  left," 
finished  Mrs.  Jeffrey,  smiling,  but  looking  search- 
ingly  into  the  bright  frank  face  uplifted  to  her. 
*'  And  if  that  one  daughter  should  marry  —  say  a 
certain  young  organist  in  a  Western  city,  why,  then 
your  uncle  Gabriel  and  I  would  have  to  live  alone 
and  look  after  each  other  for  the  balance  of  our 
days." 

"  Now,  mother  !  mother  !  you  know  better  than 
that ! "  cried  Ursula  vehemently ;  dropping  her  knee, 
she  slipped  to  the  floor  and  caught  her  mother's 
hand  and  kissed  it.  "  You  know  I  'm  never  going 
to  marry ;  I  've  told  you  so  again  and  again,  and 
I  mean  it !  You  mean  Paul  Rose,  mother,"  Ursa's 
honest  eyes  did  not  droop,  though  a  wave  of  warm 
red  went  over  her  face,  and  even  her  ears,  "  but 
indeed,  you  are  mistaken.  Paul  is  my  friend,  my 
good,  firm  friend ;  he  is  n't  one  scrap  in  love  with 
me.  He  writes  to  me,  and  I  'm  glad  to  get  his 
clever,  interesting  letters,  and  to  know  that  he  is 
happy  and  contented  in  his  work.  He  is  doing 
splendidly,  mother ;  and  is  twice  the  man  that  he 
was  when  he  went  away  to  Cleveland.  So  you 
need  n't  think  you  '11  get  rid  of  me,  mother  mine," 
Ursula  nodded  gayly.  "  I  'm  going  to  be  your  old- 
maid  daughter,  —  you  know  there  should  be  one  in 
every  family,  —  and  keep  company  with  you  and 
uncle  Gabe,  and  stay  on  at  the  Leader,  and  write 
stories  and  novels,  and  "  — 

Bending  forward,  Mrs.  Jeffrey  took  the  brave 
sweet  face  between  her  two  h:mds  and  kissed  it 
warmly.  "  You  dear  child  !  "  she  said  tenderly. 


UNCLE  GABE'S  PARISH  347 

"  Now,  to  go  back  to  Judy's  letter,"  remarked 
Ursula,  a  little  later,  when  she  had  resumed  her 
seat  and  the  "  easy  "  mending,  which  was  not  yet 
half  finished.  "  She  said  how  delighted  she  was 
to  have  Ruth  with  her  —  can't  you  just  imagine 
their  endless  talks  of  home,  mother?  how  she 
wished  we  'd  all  come  to  California  and  make  her  a 
long,  long  visit  —  what  a  dear  good  husband  Basil 
was,  and  how  interested  he  was  getting  to  be  in  the 
charitable  work  that  she  has  undertaken  to  help 
with  out  there.  He  's  trying  to  induce  some  rich 
men  in  San  Francisco  to  go  in  with  him  in  starting 
a  playground  out  there,  to  be  like  the  one  here  at 
Dedlock  Street.  That 's  Judy's  doing  —  there  was 
a  time  when  Basil  never  gave  a  thought  to  there 
being  poor  people  in  the  world !  What  else  was 
in  the  letter  ?  Let  me  see  —  oh  —  the  very  best 
of  all !  Judy  writes  that  Basil  has  promised  he  '11 
bring  her  on  to  New  York  when  Ruth  returns  in 
June.  Then,  whether  in  city  or  country,  we  can 
have  a  family  reunion.  Is  n't  that  jolly  to  look 
forward  to?  What  did  Rufie  write  to  Mar- 
garet ?  " 

"  Well,  you  know  Ruth  is  no  scribe,"  observed 
Mrs.  Jeffrey,  her  fingers  flying  swiftly  in  and  out 
of  her  work  as  she  talked.  "  Her  letter  was  full 
of  affection  for  us  all,  but  it  was  not  very  long. 
In  the  briefest  possible  manner  she  described  what 
she  called  a  'grand'  dinner  that  Judy  had 
given  "  — 

"  That  Rufie  had  given  for  Judy,  she  means," 
laughed  Ursula.  "  How  Judy  must  have  blessed 


348  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

Rufie  for  taking  all  the  bother  off  her  hands! 
Go  on,  mother." 

'•  Ruth  writes  that  Maria  —  Basil's  mother — is 
very  fond  of  Judith  ;  and  she  had  given  a  lunch 
party  in  honor  of  Ruth."  Mrs.  Jeffrey  turned  her 
eyes  upon  the  plants  on  the  window-sill  with  a 
slow,  absent  smile.  "  I  can't  imagine  the  Maria 
Norton  I  used  to  know  as  enjoying  living  at  a  fash- 
ionable hotel,  and  giving  up-to-date  lunch  parties," 
she  said.  "  Maria  was  always  lively,  but  devoted 
to  her  home,  and  very  plain  and  simple  in  her 
habits.  It  only  shows  the  change  that  years  can 
make !  Ruth  mentioned  the  arrival  of  the  Aus- 
tins ;  that  Judy  and  she  were  enjoying  every  mo- 
ment of  their  time  together ;  and  that  Count  Ito 
was  flourishing.  That  was  all.  I  am  so  glad  that 
Judy  will  soon  come  on  —  I  miss  the  child !  " 
Mrs.  Jeffrey  sighed. 

"Now,  mother,  don't  sigh;  except  for  Judy, 
your  girls  are  settled  right  close  around  you,  and 
just  as  happy  as  —  as  4  sandgrigs,'  as  Basil  used 
to  say,  whatever  they  may  be ! "  Ursula  re- 
minded her  mother.  "  There 's  Margaret,  —  where 
could  you  find  a  happier,  more  contented  young  ma- 
tron than  she  is  ?  Basil's  generous  wedding  present 
has  been  of  great  comfort  to  her  and  Jim  ;  they 
have  a  cosy  home,  and  Jim  is  painting  better  and 
better  pictures  ;  and  he  considers  himself  the  most 
fortunate  man  in  the  world  to  have  such  a  good 
and  beautiful  wife.  Now  is  n't  that  so  ?  " 

"  They  are  indeed  happy,"  agreed  Mrs.  Jeffrey  ; 
"  and  I  am  most  thankful  for  it !  " 


UNCLE  GABE'S  PARISH  349 

"  And  where  —  where  in  all  the  world  could  you 
find  a  more  beautiful  love  than  exists  between  Jack 
and  Frances  ?  "  went  on  Ursula,  warming  with  her 
subject.  "  A  visit  with  them  in  their  home  always 
sends  me  away  the  better  and  happier  for  it !  Jack 
Rose  is  a  noble-natured  man,  mother,  and  a  man 
that  is  doing  great  good  in  his  generation,  by  the 
firm  tenacity  with  which  he  holds  to  that  which  is 
right  and  honorable.  Jack  acts  his  principles  in 
his  every-day  life ;  and  for  all  that  he  's  so  shy  and 
quiet,  his  influence  reaches  out  and  out  and  out  in 
directions  that  you  'd  hardly  expect.  Why,  every- 
body in  the  office  knows  that  Jack  has  had  a  big 
share  —  a  bigger  share  than  Driscal  would  be  will- 
ing to  allow  —  in  making  the  Leader  the  clean, 
*  strong '  paper  it  is  to-day.  I  feel  it  an  honor  to 
have  Jack  for  a  brother  !  "  Ursula  finished  with 
a  little  husky  note  in  her  voice. 

Mrs.  Jeffrey  patted  her  daughter's  shoulder. 
"  What  a  warm  little  champion  !  "  she  said  play- 
fully, but  with  approval  in  her  eyes.  "  Yes,  Ursa, 
Jack  is  a  good  man,  and  I,  too,  am  proud  of  his 
relationship  to  us.  I  have  respect  and  admiration 
for  him,  and  a  mother's  love.  And  now,  what 
about  my  daughter  Ursula  ?  —  how  is  she  faring 
these  days  ?  " 

"Well,  she  isn't  faring  so  very  badly,"  an- 
swered Ursa,  falling  into  her  mother's  mood.  "  The 
young  woman's  first  book  was  n't  such  a  brilliant 
success  as  her  family  predicted  ;  but  at  any  rate," 
with  a  nod  toward  the  old  desk  where  lay  the  sheets 
of  manuscript,  —  "  at  any  rate,  it  sold  well  enough 


350  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

to  justify  Grove  and  Erveng  in  asking  its  author 
for  another  story  —  which  they  shall  receive  in  due 
time.  And  really,  mother,"  there  came  a  twinkle 
into  the  girl's  eyes,  "remembering  how  sudden 
success  tried  poor  Du  Maurier,  it  may  be  well  for 
me  that  my  first  book  has  not  attained  a  wide 
popularity.  I  might  n't  have  stood  the  test  as 
Jack  has  with  Robert  Herrick;  success  might 
have  turned  my  head ;  who  knows  ?  Whatever  is 
is  best !  Now  I  can  write  this  new  story  without 
any  disturbing  thoughts  of  a  hungry  public  await- 
ing it.  So  we  're  all  well  off.  And  now  that  uncle 
Gabe  has  at  last  a  parish,  our  cup  of  joy  is  full !  " 

"  Well,  you  know  the  matter  is  n't  quite  settled 
yet,  though  I  expect  it  will  be  this  afternoon," 
Mrs.  Jeffrey  said.  "  Of  course,  it  will  be  hard  to 
give  up  our  comfortable  apartment  here  ;  but  I  'in 
so  delighted  for  your  uncle  to  have  this  parish  that 
I  shall  do  no  grumbling  over  the  moving.  We 
could  n't  let  him  go  and  live  out  there  alone." 

"  Oh,  goodness,  no  !  "  exclaimed  Ursula,  laugh- 
ing; "  tin-  dear  blessed  man  woidd  forget  to  eat 
or  sleep  or  rest  —  why,  mother,  he  'd  simply  die 
for  want  of  care  !  Westerly  is  n't  far  from  the 
city,  and  I  believe  there  are  any  number  of  trains 
a  day.  There  'd  be  no  trouble  about  getting  in 
and  out  of  town  ;  and  the  girls  and  their  husbands 
could  easily  go  to  us.  It  would  seem  nice  to 
be  in  the  country  again  I  What  kind  of  a  parson- 
age is  he  to  have  at  Westerly  —  nice  ?  " 

l>rii-l  (Ir-rrilH-.l  everything  in  the  most  glow- 
ing terms  —  you  know  your  uncle !  "     Mrs.  Jeil'rey 


UNCLE  GABE'S  PARISH  351 

and  Ursula  laughed.  "  If  there  was  nothing  but 
a  barn  in  which  to  hold  services,  and  a  shed  for 
his  home,  Gabriel  would  be  satisfied,  and  grow  en- 
thusiastic over  them.  But,  you  know,  Fraucie  and 
Jack  went  with  your  uncle  to  Westerly  when  he 
preached  there,  and  from  Frances  to-day  I  learned 
that  the  rectory  is  a  very  good  house,  small  but 
comfortable;  and  the  church  of  stone,  and  very 
pretty.  There  are  some  nice  refined  families  in 
Westerly,  and  a  large  number  of  poor  people,  most 
of  whom  are  employed  in  the  silk-mills  there.  So 
there  '11  be  work  for  us  all.  The  senior  warden, 
Mr.  Manchen,  is  a  friend  of  your  uncle's ;  he  called 
this  morning  just  after  you  'd  gone,  and  from  what 
he  said,  I  judge  that  now  it  rests  almost  entirely 
with  Gabriel  to  accept  the  call.  The  congregation 
at  St.  Philip's  would  like  to  have  him  in  charge. 
I  think  there 's  no  doubt  whatever  of  his  taking 
the  parish ;  for  years  it 's  been  the  dearest  wish  of 
his  heart  to  have  one  !  Poor  fellow !  It  '11  be  a 
good  move  for  him  ;  that  dictionary  has  kept  him 
very  closely  confined." 

"  lie  does  look  thin,"  remarked  Ursula.  "  But 
whatever  will  become  of  the  Hebrew  and  Italian 
papers  without  him  ?  —  and  his  protege,  and  all 
his  constituents  ?  He  '11  be  asking  them  to  West- 
erly in  detachments,  all  the  summer  long  —  you  '11 
see!" 

A  sudden  whir-r-r-r!  of  the  electric  bell  startled 
the  two  ladies,  and  sent  Miss  Weewee  plunging 
precipitously  from  the  table  to  the  front  door, 
where  she  sat  and  waited  until  it  opened  and  Mr. 


352  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

Kincaid  appeared.  After  nibbing  off  some  of  her 
superfluous  hair  on  his  trousers  and  getting  almost 
under  his  feet,  pussy  led  the  way  with  dignity  into 
the  dining-room. 

The  little  clergyman  was  looking  thinner  than 
when,  more  than  a  year  ago,  he  had  officiated  at 
the  Jeffrey  weddings,  and  there  may  have  been  a 
few  more  gray  hairs  in  the  fringe  of  hair  that  semi- 
circled  the  back  of  his  bald  head  ;  but  he  entered 
the  room  with  his  usual  light  step  and  a  jaunti- 
ness  of  manner  that  delighted  the  hearts  of  the 
expectant  sister  and  niece. 

"  He  has  actually  got  it !  "  Ursula  breathed,  in 
a  rapid  undertone ;  and  Mrs.  Jeffrey  exclaimed, 
"  Oh,  Gabriel,  tell  us  the  good  news !  " 

Mr.  Kincaid  put  his  hands  in  his  pockets  and 
jingled  his  keys  merrily.  There  was  a  spot  of 
vivid  red  on  each  cheek,  and  in  his  near-sighted 
eyes  a  peculiar  brightness. 

"  Another  remittance  from  Jared ! "  he  an- 
nounced joyfully.  "The  third  since  he  went 
West —  the  third  !  I  call  that  pretty  good,  don't 
you  ?  "  Sitting  down  at  the  table,  he  opened  Jared 
Watkins's  letter,  and  slowly  and  proudly,  with 
hands  that  trembled,  though  only  their  owner 
knew  that,  drew  from  it  two  crisp  new  bank-bills. 

"  But  Westerly  is  "  —  began  Ursula,  then 
stopped  at  her  mother's  touch  and  her  whisper  of 
"  Let  him  tell  it  in  his  own  way." 

"Jared's  account  of  himself  is  most  encourajr- 

O 

'MIL:,  most   encouraging  !  "    declared    the   reverend 
tit  man.   thawing  the    bills    nervously  through 


UNCLE  GABE'S  PARISH  353 

his  fingers.  "  And  what  my  friend  Maynard 
writes  corroborates  this  letter.  Jared  is  keeping 
straight  and  doing  well,  and  his  —  er  —  expressions 
of  gratitude  for  the  —  er  —  few  kindnesses  I  showed 
him  are  really  touching !  Poor  fellow !  he  has 
been  brought  through  deep  waters  —  deep  waters 
-  up  to  the  throne  of  Grace.  He  is  keeping 
straight  and  doing  well  —  doing  well  —  very  well 
in—" 

It  suddenly  occurred  to  Mrs.  Jeffrey  that  her 
brother  was  agitated,  that  he  was  talking  against 
time,  and,  ignoring  her  own  advice  to  Ursula,  she 
leaned  forward  and  addressed  him.  "  Well,  Ga- 
briel," she  said  abruptly,  almost  sternly,  "what 
about  Westerly  ?  " 

Mr.  Kincaid's  hands  shook  so  that  the  crisp 
bills  he  held  rattled.  "  Yes ;  what  about  West- 
erly ?  "  he  repeated  ;  and  some  sudden  intuition, 
perhaps  foreboding,  made  the  two  women  cry  out 
together,  "  Did  n't  you  get  the  parish  ?  " 

Uncle  Gabriel  hastily  pushed  Jared's  letter 
and  bills  aside,  and  met  the  questioning  eyes.  "  I 
could  have  had  the  parish  —  of  course,"  he  said 
unsteadily,  "  but  —  but  —  I  gave  it  away  to  some 
one  else." 

"Uncle  Gabe!"  wailed  Ursula;  and,  "To 
whom  ? ' '  briefly  asked  her  mother. 

Mr.  Kincaid's  face  was  deadly  white  save  for 
those  two  vivid  spots  on  his  cheek-bones,  and  his 
eyes  burned  through  his  spectacles  as  he  leaned 
forward,  with  his  arms  extended  before  him  over 
the  table,  and  answered,  making  an  evident  effort 


354  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

at  self-control,  —  "  To  the  son  of  —  Alexander 
Onnsby." 

Mrs.  Jeffrey  sprang  from  her  chair,  and,  going 
to  the  table,  stood  there  looking  down  upon  her 
brother  with  an  almost  indescribable  expression 
on  her  face.  She  was  very  much  moved.  "  What ! " 
she  cried,  in  a  low,  shrill  whisper.  "You  have 
given  up  your  parish  —  the  only  one  that  has  come 
to  you  in  all  these  years  —  given  it  up,  after  wait- 
ing and  longing  for  it  until  your  heart  was  almost 
sick  —  and  to  Alexander  Ormsby's  son  !  The  son 
of  the  only  enemy  you  ever  had  in  all  your  life,  the 
man  to  whom  you  were  so  kind,  whom  you  trusted, 
and  who  cheated  you  out  of  your  valuable  library, 
out  of  your  money  —  who  made  you  so  poor  that 
you  had  barely  enough  with  which  to  lay  your  wife 
and  boy  in  their  grave,  —  the  man  that  tried  to 
blacken  your  good  name  I  And  you  gave  Alexan- 
der Ormsby's  son  your  parish !  Gabriel !  Gabriel ! 
what  're  you  made  of  !  " 

Ursula  went  swiftly  and  knelt  beside  her  uncle, 
laying  her  head  lovingly  against  his  shoulder. 

Mr.  Kincaid,  however,  paid  no  heed  to  her ;  he 
was  still  leaning  on  the  table,  looking  up  at  his 
sister.  "  *  But  I  say  unto  you,  Love  your  enemies, 
Mrss  them  that  curse  you,  do  good  to  them  that 
hate  you,  and  pray  for  them  which  despitef ully  use 
you  and  persecute  you,'  "  he  quoted  slowly,  with 
lips  that  quivered.  "  You  know  Who  said  that,  — 
they  're  not  empty  words." 

He  bent  his  head  for  a  moment,  then  lifted  it 
and  told  his  story. 


UNCLE  GABE'S  PARISH  355 

"  'T  was  n't  easy  to  do  —  't  was  a  hard  struggle," 
he  said.  "  But  now  I  'm  glad  I  did  it ;  for  the 
first  time  since  —  since  all  that  trouble,  the  sore, 
hurt  feeling  against  Ormsby  has  gone  out  of  my 
heart.  It 's  gone,  thank  God !  Ormsby's  son  was 
on  the  train  with  me,  and  his  wife  —  a  very  frail- 
looking  woman  with  a  consumptive's  cough  —  and 
his  four  children ;  they  looked  delicate,  too.  He 
was  more  than  shabby,  seedy,  indeed ;  why,"  a 
flash  of  uncle  Gabriel's  radiant  smile  played  over 
his  lips  for  an  instant,  "  I  felt  well  dressed  and  — 
and  positively  affluent,  when  I  heard  his  story. 
He  came  up  and  made  himself  known  to  me.  It 
seems  that  Ormsby 's  lost  all  his  money,  and  this 
young  man  and  his  wife  've  both  been  ill ;  he  had 
to  give  up  his  parish  on  that  account,  though  he 
is  well  now;  and  couldn't  get  another!  As  we 
know,"  —  the  little  gentleman's  face  was  losing  its 
tense  lines,  and  recovering  its  own  sweet  brightness, 
—  "as  we  know,  parishes  are  not  always  to  one's 
hand.  Ormsby's  son  had  neither  parish,  home, 
nor  money.  Somebody  'd  offered  him  two  rooms 
rent  free  in  a  cottage  at  Westerly,  and  he  was 
taking  his  family  out  there  —  had  to  borrow  the 
money  for  the  railroad  fare.  He  had  n't  enough 
in  his  pocket  to  provide  his  children  with  more 
than  one  day's  food.  And  his  boy,  his  youngest 
boy,  Etta,  —  had  eyes  like  my  little  son  !  D'  you 
suppose  I  could  withhold  pity  and  help  from  him 
when  I  saw  that  boy's  eyes  ?  " 

Uncle  Gabriel's  voice  failed ;  going  to  his  side, 
Mrs.  Jeffrey  drew  his  head  upon  her  shoulder, 


356  FORTUNE'S  BOATS 

and  she  and  Ursula  wept  with  the  little  clergy- 
man. 

Those  tears  greatly  relieved  Mr.  Kincaid's  feel- 
ings. In  a  very  few  minutes  he  sat  up.,  and,  after 
blowing  his  nose  with  some  emphasis,  appeared 
much  more  cheerful. 

"  Well,  to  cut  a  long  story  short,"  he  remarked, 
"  before  saying  anything  about  it  to  Ormsby's  son, 
I  went  and  talked  the  matter  over  with  Man- 
chen  and  one  or  two  other  influential  men  of 
the  parish  that  happened  to  be  in  the  village,  to 
be  sure  they  'd  be  willing  to  accede  to  my  plan. 
The  young  man  is  a  good  preacher,  and  has  an 
excellent  character,  —  not  like  his  father.  Mny- 
nard  's  had  an  eye  on  this  Ormsby  for  years,  and 
he  's  kept  me  posted  ;  so  I  knew  all  about  him. 
After  some  trouble  I  succeeded  in  making  the 
exchange — those  people  had  taken  a  great  liking 
to  me !  "  A  faint  jingle  of  the  keys  was  heard. 
"  But  I  did  succeed.  In  a  few  days  or  a  week 
more,  Ormsby's  son  will  be  in  charge,  and  until 
then  Manchen  has  promised  to  look  after  the 
whole  family  and  see  that  they  don't  want  for  any- 
thing." The  little  man  did  not  add,  as  he  might 
have  added,  that  he  had  insisted  on  emptying  his 
own  slender  purse  into  the  hand  of  the  senior  war- 
den for  the  use  of  "  Ormsby's  son." 

"  And  that  is  the  end  of  your  long-sought  par- 
i>li !  '*  Mrs.  Jeffrey  said  sadly,  but  with  her  arm 
across  her  brother's  narrow  stooping  shoulders. 

"  Well,  don't  fret ;  after  all,  this  may  be  for  the 
best,"  returned  Mr.  Kincaid  briskly.  "I'd  have 


UNCLE  GABE'S   PARISH  357 

hated  to  leave  my  two  papers,  and  to  turn  all 
those  poor  Italians  adrift.  And  there  's  the  dic- 
tionary, too  ;  I  owe  a  duty  there." 

"  But  it  keeps  you  so  closely  confined,  Gabriel ; 
and  besides,  the  dictionary  won't  last  for  very  much 
longer,  and  your  income  is  so  limited ! "  Mrs. 
Jeffrey  said. 

"  I  'm  most  grieved  to  lose  that  pretty  rectory, 
and  the  church.  I  had  quite  made  up  my  mind  to 
live  in  one  and  worship  in  the  other,"  remarked 
Ursula,  who  was  stroking  and  patting  one  of  her 
uncle's  hands. 

Uncle  Gabe's  face  clouded  for  a  moment,  then 
as  rapidly  cleared  and  grew  bright,  and  the  hand 
which  lay  on  the  table  began  drumming  a  rapid 
tattoo.  "I'm  sorry,"  he  said  cheerfully.  "But 
I  don't  regret  what  I  've  done.  Another  call  may 
come  to  me,  another  parish  quite  as  fine  as  this. 
And  if  it  should  n't,  I  'm  not  afraid,  —  the  Lord 
will  provide  for  me.  I  can  trust  the  future  with 
Him." 


prrw 

EUctrotyfed  and  printed  by  II.  O.  Houghton  &•  Co. 
Cambridge,  Matt,  U.S.  A. 


A     000  090  346     8 


